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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28296735">To Storm and Fire (a Heroes of Olympus rewrite)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peanutbutterassistant/pseuds/Peanutbutterassistant'>Peanutbutterassistant</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Character Development, F/M, Found Family, M/M, Missing Scene, Rewrite, Wlw Piper McLean, like actual character development, like slooooowburn, slowburn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:49:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>97,926</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28296735</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peanutbutterassistant/pseuds/Peanutbutterassistant</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A fic where a rewrite specific scenes of the Heroes of Olympus books and add more scenes in so that it’s just a bit more satisfying. I am concentrating on individual character arcs and development as well as friendships and relationships.</p><p> </p><p>And Jason knew who he was. He was Jason Grace, Son of Jupiter, god of lightning and lord of the skys. Ex Predator of the twelfth legion and Centron of the Fifth Cohort. Defeater of the Titan Krois and the Trojan sea monster. Head of the Zeus cabin at Camp Half-Blood. He likes Jean jackets, tofu tacos, and alternative music. He likes Leo’s calloused hands and warm, brown eyes.</p><p>He was Jason, and that’s all he needed to be.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Leo Valdez, Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>83</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Lost Hero</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! </p><p>The formatting for this fic is kinda out of the ordinary for me, but as long as you have a physical copy of the book you should be able to follow along. Actually, you can read this fic without the book context if you want, but it makes the most sense in context.</p><p>So the format look like this:</p><p>Start page #</p><p>Words words words text text text scene scene Leo sets something on fire words words words text text text</p><p>End page #</p><p>The logic behind this is that I’m not changing everything everything and i don’t want to get sued by copy and pasting the actual text into the fic.</p><p>So you will be reading the book, and when you come across “start page 12” or whatever, you stop reading the book at page twelve and where ever it matches with the fic, you’ll start reading the fic until it says “end page”. If it ends on the same page, it’s an added scene, something I made up completely to farther my own plot (whatever that may be). If it’s a different page you end on, I’ve replace a whole scene because it doesn’t fit the story anymore. There are r a lot short bursts of writing where I either add in a couple lines or replace a couple lines to keep everyone in character.</p><p>I’m only changing a few things in the main plot lines, so the actual story and quests and whatnot stay the same for the most part.</p><p>The things I’m changing:</p><p>1. Jason Grace has more of a character. He deserves it. He has this really complex backstory and nothing is done with it and I think he has so much potential. Jason character in this fic goes through a lot of character development, how his childhood in a literally army effects his day to day life. </p><p>2. Piper McLean is recognized as a wlw in her actual narrative and goes through character development that shows her growing out of her “I’m not like other girls” mindset. She’s a bamf who deserves to grow during her story when she’s a main character, not during toa</p><p>3. Leo’s character development and the “seventh wheel” plotline  is resolved through finding platonic love in his found family, not getting with Calypso because not everything is about romance thanks</p><p>4. Octavian has an actual backstory (he’s still a lil shit don’t worry) that makes him a narrative foil to Jason, showing how his “child soldier” narrative to it’s absolute extreme</p><p>5. Valgrace ONLY after Leo realizes he’s not a seventh wheel and is important and loved and Jason learns how to live for himself and not for other people</p><p>6. We’re ignoring Frank getting “fit”. It’s weird I don’t like it </p><p>7. The seven operate like a found family! I wrote lots and lots of extra scenes to show every individual character is friends with every individual character. They’re all friends and they all love each other.</p><p>So I hope you enjoy the fic! And I hope you are able to follow along and it isn’t too confusing 😬</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Start page 7</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They got off the bus, Jason’s head was already swimming as he tried to take in his surroundings. Clay earth and steel railings protecting bystanders from the giant chasm in the earth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Coach Hedge passed out pieces of paper to every other person, yelling loudly to the group;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Listen up! I only have enough worksheets for half of you, so you’ll have to work in pairs, okay? No exceptions!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Coach shoved a paper into Jason’s hands, Piper sighed. “Dang,” she said, “how are we gonna do this? Should we ask for a group of three?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Confused, Jason asked, “Didn’t he just say no exceptions?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo sighed, patting Jason on the arm because he couldn’t reach his shoulder, “Jason, Jason, Jason, you may not remember, but we break the rules quite a bit, the three of us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t mess with him, Leo.” Piper chided him, “He’s got amnesia. We should be asking Coach for help. Like, a doctor or something.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, sure.” Leo responded, “Oh, I know! I can hide in Jason’s shirt! I’m probably small enough.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Leo.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Piper demanded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good news!” said an unfamiliar voice, a tall boy with pale skin and brown hair, “Piper, you’re my partner.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl squinted angrly at him, “Actually, I’m partnering with-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Coach said.” Dylan pestered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo grabbed onto Piper’s arm. “Oh back off, she’s in a group already.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy laughed, “Okay, </span>
  <em>
    <span>squirt,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” he snorted, easily shoving Leo to the side. He took Piper by the arm and she shot a glance at Jason, who- wildly uncomfortable and confused- clenched his fists at his side but untimely, did nothing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What a jerk wad.” Leo remarked after the two of them had walked away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>that guy?” Jason asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo stared at him blankly, “Wow, you're really playing this whole amnesia thing out, huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason fiddled with the loose leaf paper in his hands, “You don’t believe me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In my defense,” Leo spoke, “It does sound pretty wack.” He held out his hand in a ‘gimme’ gesture, “I’ll do the paper.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” He asked, “You know these things are complete bullshit. If I write the answers messy enough, Coach won’t even be able to read it. See that? I cheat the system.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite himself, Jason laughed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They walked around the edge of the canyon, Leo had folded the paper and put it in his pocket. Then he had taken a handful of miscellaneous items from a different pocket (some rubber bands, two popsicle sticks, and a thin wire) and started fidgeting with it. “Okay,” he began, “Lemme give you the rundown on all the things you missed. We go to a place called Wilderness School. it’s like a boarding school for the ‘bad’ kids, the ones no one really wants. It’s out in the middle of legit nowhere slash the middle of the woods. We’re constantly doing stuff like this,” Leo gestures vaguely to their surroundings, “and other outdoorsy nonsense. The teachers say it’s ‘character building’ but I think they just like to torture us. Right now, though, we’re in a field trip to the Grand Canyon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Absorbing the information, Jason asked, “And… who am I? Like, what am I like? How are we friends? Uh, I don’t mean that offensively I just-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still fidgeting, Leo grinned up at him. “You? You’re Jason. You’re a Boy Scout, basically- a total wet blanket. You’re the all American boy next door, if you will. You have an annoyingly good moral compass and you’re the only one of the three of us who isn’t constantly getting into trouble. I don’t even know how you landed yourself in this school, honestly. You don’t talk about yourself much, actually, I don’t know much about your home life. Which is fair. Most people here have awful home lives so we didn’t press you out about it. You uh, you showed up in the middle of the semester and like, blatantly ignored everybody. Like, you were super dead set on not making friends for whatever reason. We never really found out why. Anyway, Piper as I had been best buds since the start of the year and graciously decided to let you into our madness, you’re welcome. We pestered you for weeks- sitting with you at lunch and in class, following you around during free hours- until you eventually gave in. Basically, you owe us your life. Your social life, but same thing, really.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason nodded, straining his memory, trying to even remember a spark- anything, but turned up blank.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dylan- thats that jerk whose with Piper right now- is a jerk. No questions there. Anyone will and can kill you without hesitation and if it weren’t for me and Piper, you’d probably be dead already- no offense.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“None taken.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Coach Hedge is the coach, he’s a new teacher this year and he hits us with baseball bats soft enough for it but to be classified as abuse and hard enough for us to regret whatever we did to get sent here. Piper is your girlfriend, you two have been dating since you two went to that meteor shower a few weeks ago. I’m your best buddy, you worship the ground I walk on. Is anything coming back to you yet?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason strained again, racking his brain for something- anything… but it was empty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… guess not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They stopped walking and Leo leaded against the railing, making Jason immediately nervous he might fall over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Watch this.” Leo says, his voice hushed. He had built a little contraption with the little trinkets in his hand. He twisted part of the wire sticking out of it and the two popsicles sticks bagan to spin like a helicopter and the tiny machine sputtered to life and started flying along the length of the canyon. Leo leaned farther over the railing, making Jason’s anxiety jump, and squinted to see how far out it was. It made it halfway across and fell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dang it, so close!” Leo cursed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason looked down at the other boy in awe. “Leo- that was amazing! What was that? You just built a tiny thing with popsicle sticks and rubber bands and it flew halfway across the Grand Canyon! That was- that was-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amazing didn’t really seem right anymore. Jason filed the information away, he wouldn't be underestimating Leo again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo put his hands in his pockets, his face suddenly serious. “Hey,” he began, “If you’re, like, doing this whole amnesia thing because you’re sick of being friends with me- us-... you don’t have to. Trust me, I’ve had friends ditch me before, it’s nothing new. If you just said it now, I wouldn’t be offended. It would be way less weird than what you’re doing now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason flinched, “I’m not making this up, honest.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, okay.” said Leo, not sounding at all convinced. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The breeze picked up, and Leo tilted his gaze to the sky. “Hmmm. Got some clouds moving in.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just then, the Coach walked past them, Jason had been meaning to talk to him, hopefully he knew more about Jason and his situation than Leo did. And maybe he could get some help.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be right back,” Jason said to Leo swiftly, jogging over to where Coach hedge stood…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 14</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start Page 383</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“... everyone alright? No one got bitten?” Asked the girl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something about her was strikingly familiar, Jason couldn’t place it and it was giving him a headache. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We… are now. Thank you.” Jason managed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hell yeah we are!” Leo interjected, flirting with her immediately, “Do you have a name, or can I call you ‘mine’?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl scrunched her nose at him. “I’m Lieutenant Thalia Grace, hunter of Artemis. You know. The group of women who have sworn off men?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course you are.” Leo remarked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason felt like a bolt of lightning crashed through his skull. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thalia?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Cupcake,” Coach Hedge said, batting Jason’s arm, “Ain’t your name ‘Grace?’”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thalia flicked her electric blue gaze over to Jason, raising an eyebrow. Cautiously, Jason reached out his hand for a shake, “Jason,” he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thalia’s eyes went wide, and she flinched away from him. Jason’s nervousness must have appeared in his face, it was overwhelming. He hadn’t even had time to even think about dealing with Thalia, or even wondering if she knew he was alive. The hunter was such a firm link to his past… introducing himself could shock her enough into running away, and that was the last thing Jason wanted. Thalia could easily reject him, say nothing, or walk away. As she stood- her eyes wide and her posture small- Jason’s arm wavered, scared and unsure if she cared to return the gesture at all. Thalia knew things about Jason that he desperately wished to know for himself. He wanted to walk over to her, take her by the shoulders and shake her until she told him everything. He wanted her to give him something to fill the gaps with, something to look back on other than the howling of wolves, yellow eyes, stitches, the bright flash of lightning. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason was barely aware of his friends standing confused, on either side of him, the dying ember of what remained of the fire. Thalia’s eyes searched his face. Jason couldn’t remember feeling so exposed- so raw. He hated it. Finally- after what felt like an eternity, Thalia stepped closer to him, Jason closed his hands into fists and pulled them close to his chest. She held out a hand, shakey and unsure, and touched- with just the light tips of her fingers- the scar on his top lip. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jason.” she repeated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Coach Hedge looked from Jason to Thalia and back again, “I’m sorry, do y’all know each other? Should I be worried?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thalia’s eyes didn’t leave Jason’s face, and Jason stared back, not quite knowing what to do. A familiar sensation of desperately not wanting to disappoint creeped its way into Jason’s head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t understand,” said Thalia, ignoring the Coach entirely, “You died. I thought you were dead.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everything felt weird, Jason was a head taller than Thalia and they looked nothing alike. But she knew who he was. “Funny story,” said Jason, “I lost all my memories but… we’ve come from Camp Half-Blood, we’re on a quest.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thalia seemed to consider that for a moment, then she pulled away, her face shifting back to indifferent neutrality. “The hunters have a camp set up a little ways up the mountain. We’ll catch up once we get there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And with that, she started hiking up the snowy mountain. Jason followed a bit behind her. While they thought Jason wasn’t looking, Leo and Piper made eye contact and had a silent argument before Leo jogged to catch up with Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So hey,” he began, “quick question, you know that lady?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason ran a hand through his hair. “ ‘Know’ is a strong word.” Leo raised an eyebrow at him. “She’s my sister.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo followed Jason and his weirdly hot sister and the group of hunters up the mountain without saying much else. They soon arrived at a collection of silver tents, even more hunters were with them. Leo’s head was swimming, firstly because Jason had a super hot sister and </span>
  <em>
    <span>no one told him </span>
  </em>
  <span>and two, he was attracted to Jason’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>sister</span>
  </em>
  <span> which- ew- but also </span>
  <em>
    <span>ew</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And now that he could really </span>
  <em>
    <span>see </span>
  </em>
  <span>Thalia (the hunters had several fires going) he could see the resemblance. If you didn’t know the two were related, you’d never know. But now that Leo was looking- really looking- he could see it. They had the </span>
  <em>
    <span>exact </span>
  </em>
  <span>same eyes. Electric blue, almost unnaturally bright. Completely different face shapes (Jason’s was longer and rectangular while Thalia’s was smaller and heart shaped), different noses, but the same mouth. A form line, like it was meant to be in a scowl. They had the same sort of air round them, like ‘mess with me and you’ll probably die’. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He liked all those things about Thalia, what did that say about the way he felt about Jason? It’s not that Leo was against liking boys, he’s known he’s liked boys for years now, he just doesn’t tell everyone right away, and he doesn’t flirt with boys when he finds them attractive because it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>way </span>
  </em>
  <span>harder. But Leo wasn’t attracted to Jason, Jason was his friend, it would be weird. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shaking himself from his thoughts, Leo let his gaze roll to Piper, who was noticed by one of the girls in silver coats- Phoebe, that was her name- who had noticed her limping.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hypothermia, ankle,” she said, “you need some healing attention. Fast.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper let herself be guided to what Leo assumed was Phoebe’s tent. That left the three boys and Thalia. “Come into my tent where it’s warm,” she said, “We’ll talk quests and… other stuff.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl turned around, walking inside one of the silver tents. “Have fun with that,” called the Coach, “I’m going to go see if they have anything to eat.” And he trotted off farther into the camp.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason put a hand light on Leo’s arm, “You’ll come inside with me, right?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo played with the hem of his shirt, “I don’t think that invitation was meant for me, Jase.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She didn’t say it wasn’t, please?” Jason said, his eyes pleading and his posture unsure, “I don’t think I want to go in there alone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo had never seen Jason like this before. Scared and insecure and unsure of himself, that was supposed to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>Leo’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>department. But everyone gets a chance to be the scared friend, he supposed, Leo can’t always hog the spot and Jason can’t be strong forever.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Leo agreed, “but if she kills me, know it’s your fault.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A small smile played in Jason’s lips and his posture relaxed, if only slightly. They followed her into the tent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thalia was sitting on one end of the tent, and Jason sat down in the other, Leo sitting awkwardly next to him. Thalia regarded Leo as a surprise, but said nothing. There wasn’t any furniture, just a sleeping bag (which Thalia was sitting on) and different backpacks and ration packs open and placed at random on the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, um-“ Jason began.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You said you lost your memory? What happened?” Thalia interjected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not sure.” Jason told her. “I woke up on a school bus with him and Piper. They remembered things about me that had never happened, and then we went to camp Half-Blood. And sent on a quest.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that sounds like camp.” Thalia agreed. “So you don’t remember me? Like, at all?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason looked awkwardly at the ground, then he fished something out of his pocket and handed it to her. The space between them was so enormous Thalia had to lean forward to take it from him. It looked like a photo booth picture strip. Thalia studied it carefully, then smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I forgot about this, I can’t believe I left it back at camp.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can keep it if you want.” Jason offered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thalia shook her head, “Nah,” she said, handing it back to him, “I can see Annabeth whenever I want, you’d better hang onto that. Don’t want you forgetting me again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason reached forward and took the photo from Thalia’s outstretched hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Realizing Jason wasn’t going to ask, Leo piped up; “Can I ask why you thought he was dead? That seems like an important misunderstanding to clear up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Thalia leaned forward, resting her hands in her chin and her elbows on her crossed legs. “Do you remember anything about mom?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I remember, well, I was told Dad- Zeus- offered me as a sacrifice to Hera and that mom was involved with it. But not much else.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thalia huffed, “Yeah, I guess… gods you… I guess you wouldn’t remember.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Okay. Our mother, her name was Beryl Grace. She was beautiful, an actress, but she didn’t handle the fame well. She got plastic surgery and fake tans, she was in the tabloids a lot. She had a lot of ‘Hollywood scandals’, she got drunk a bunch, left us alone pretty often.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason’s face seemed to squeeze with distress with every word Thalia said. Leo had been jealous of his friend before, but he would never want to be Jason less than he did right now. At least Leo remembered his mom, at least she had been a good person. Not sure what to do, Leo moved his hand onto Jason’s knee and tapped on his jeans in Morse code </span>
  <em>
    <span>I love you I love you I love you</span>
  </em>
  <span> over and over, knowing he didn’t understand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When she first attracted the attention of Zues, when I was born, it was like… the ultimate achievement. But when Zues gradually stopped hanging around, she kinda went crazy. She couldn’t accept that she wasn’t perfect enough for him. She did more publicity stunts, wore crazy clothes and makeup, anything to get him back. Eventually he did come back, but he was different than I remembered. That’s when you were born. Mom and I fought a lot, I couldn’t stand her. I only stayed around at that point because of you, I didn’t trust her with you. Then Zeus left a </span>
  <em>
    <span>second </span>
  </em>
  <span>time, and that really did it. She went out drinking </span>
  <em>
    <span>all the time, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she was barely ever around. She probably scared Zeus off, she kept demanding different things. She wanted Zeus to make her immortal or eternally beautiful or whatever crap. She was just… unstable. As a person.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She took a deep breath, looking like she wanted to reach out and comfort Jason, do something, but didn’t, like she wasn't sure she was allowed to. Leo couldn’t shake the feeling that Thalia Grace wasn’t supposed to look this way, that she was supposed to be a powerful, talk presence, not meek and scared and unsure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I remember, I was eight and you were two. Mom wanted us to go on some family vacation up north. We were at the beach, mom said she left something in the car and asked me to go grab it for her. I was reluctant, I didn’t want to leave you alone with her. But I did. And when I came back, mom was crying. She said Hera had come for you, and you were gone now. Mom didn’t even want to name you Jason, you know that? Dad insisted on it, saying it was Hera’s favorite name and she would be less likely to kill us if we tried to appease her. But mom said that you were a gift to Hera, you very existence was hers to give or take. I didn’t believe her, because gods don’t just come down from the heavens and murder toddlers, right? So I called the police, and there was a while investigative process but no one ever found you and Beryl was never convicted. I could stand her- I just couldn’t. So I ran away.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” Jason whispered. He held onto Leo’s arm, right by his wrist, which was still resting in Jason’s leg. He held on to tight it hurt, but Leo let him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s dead now,” Thalia added after a moment, “I saw it in a tabloid. She drove her car off a cliff. She was drunk, of course.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A moment of silence lapsed. Finally, Leo broke it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She sounds like a jerk.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She was.” Thalia agreed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t understand,” Jason said, his voice hard, “How did I survive? What does ‘Hera took me’ even mean? And all this Roman stuff…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Roman stuff?” Thalia asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your brother speaks Latin and has a sick Roman tattoo.” Leo supplied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have a tattoo?” Thalia demanded. Jason raised his free hand- the one that wasn’t holding Leo in a death grip- and showed it to her. She squinted at it for a moment, unsure. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Weird,” she decided. “Now that we have all that cleared up, what was it you were saying about a quest…?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End Page 394</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start Page 397</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.” said Jason, finally, “But I think I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am</span>
  </em>
  <span> good at </span>
  <em>
    <span>pretending</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be put together. I know what you’re trying to say. Thanks, man.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Leo said, “You know I’m here for you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know.” Jason said, like it was nothing. Like it was a given. “Hey, do you ever think I’ll end up like Thalia one day?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo squinted over at the huntress, then at his friend. “Nah,” he said, “you would look awful with black hair, you definitely would </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>rock the punk look.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason looked at him blankly before smiling and giving a laugh, and Leo laughed too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I meant like, cool and confident and stuff.” Jason clarified.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You kidding?” Said Leo, “You're the coolest person I know. You can fly, you’re ripped, you can </span>
  <em>
    <span>fly…</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End Page 397</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start Page 400 </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo followed behind Thalia on the ice bridge and it started cracking under his feet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thalia whipped her head around to look at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought you said this bridge hardly ever cracks?” Leo accused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t!” Thalia shot back, “I mean, it melts a lot but-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh my gods</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Leo sighed, “of course.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Thalia asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Leo controls fire.” Jason explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thalia groaned. “Right. Of course he does. Can you carry him across? You said you can fly, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason shook his head, “I can’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>fly, </span>
  </em>
  <span>I can control the winds. But the winds here… they seem restless and angry. I could probably get us in the air, but I don’t think they'd listen to me after that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo suddenly had a vivid vision of himself and Jason being whipped through the air like rag dolls.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I prefer the ice bridge, thanks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ice cracked under Leo’s feet once more and everyone flinched.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo could see the shift in Jason’s posture, the tone of his voice, shifting into Leader Mode. “Okay,” he said, sounding sure of himself for the first time since they ran into Thalia, “here’s what we’re gonna do. Thalia, you get across the bridge as fast as you can. I’ll stay here with Leo and we’ll start following you after you’ve made it to safety. If the ice melts, I’ll try flying. It probably won’t be super pleasant, but it's better than anyone plummeting to their deaths.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thalia looked at him, worried, but she nodded. “Try not to die.” said said. Jason nodded and Thalia bolted down the bridge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason turned to face Leo, who was getting more anxious by the second. Which was super unhelpful because Leo was pretty sure that being anxious was what was making him lose control over his fire and melt the ice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Trying to take his mind off the situation, Leo asked, “Hey, you know what this reminds me of?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have you ever seen Shark boy and Lava Girl?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason squinted, confused. “Uh… no? I guess I wouldn’t remember if I did.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, right.” Leo remembered, “Well anyway, the movie is about this girl who's made of lava, and this boy who's a shark, right? And this kid- I don’t remember his name- they’re his imaginary friends. I don’t remember the exact details but they’re in a quest type situation in the kid’s mind. So there’s like, giant ice cream and magic and stuff.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still confused, Jason nodded, looking past Leo to see if Thalia had made it. “Right. Makes sense.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyway, they’re traveling through the ice kingdom, there’s an Ice princess but she’s not relevant yet. And they have to cross an ice bridge.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see, it’s all coming together.” Jason commented.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. And get this, because Lava girl is, you know, made of lava, she can’t cross the bridge or else she’ll melt it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And how does Lava girl get out of this situation?” asked Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think…” says Leo, trying to remember, “she tries sleepwalking, and it doesn’t work, she wakes up and gets really mad and chases the boys across the bridge. She does end up melting it, though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well hopefully we don’t end up like her.” said Jason, “Okay, Thalia’s made it to the other side. We can go ahead and follow her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re right behind me?” asked Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m right behind you,” Jason promised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo took a step forward, and the ice cracked again. Leo ignored it. He kept walking, taking deep breaths, trying to keep calm. Leo probably would have known Jason was behind him if not for his soft footprints on the ice. Leo tried to walk fast, but not too fast that he would slip, which would be just as bad as melting the ice away. Soon, he was able to see Thalia on the other side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Almost there,” said Jason, right behind him. But like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>right </span>
  </em>
  <span>behind him. So close, Leo jumped and lost whoever control he had left in his powers, and the ice cracked, nearly melting away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, times up, I’m flying us over there.” Jason decided.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Leo shrieked, “I though you said you could control these winds?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Probably not, but the ledge is </span>
  <em>
    <span>right there</span>
  </em>
  <span> so it’s not really flying, just like, a long jump. Hang on tight!” He said, running up to Leo, and jumping towards solid ground. Leo felt the impact of harsh winds immediately, grabbing tightly to Jason’s shirt around his neck, shutting his eyes tight. The winds threw them around in the air, and suddenly they hit something hard and they both yelped, and fell about a foot straight down, landing in soft snow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo open his eyes, taking in their surroundings, they made it to the other side of the bridge. They were laying just bellow a pine tree, which is what they must have hit. Also, Jason was laying sideways on top of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Off off,” said Leo, batting at Jason’s bicep. Jason managed to stand, helping Leo up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You okay?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks to you, yeah.” Leo said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thalia came over to them, worry etched onto her face. “Well that was a rough landing. The others are over there, come on, let’s catch up. You guys good?” Jason nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Leo agreed, “Jason’s way better than a bridge anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, he realized something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Jason, what did Hera call you in that dream you had the other day? She called you a </span>
  <em>
    <span>bridge.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’re you talking about?” Thalia asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just listen,” Leo commanded, “If Jason is a bridge, what’s he connecting? Maybe two different places that normally don’t get along- like the air palace and the ground. You had to be somewhere before this, right? Between disappearing when you were two and showing up on our field trip. And Hera said you were an exchange.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“An exchange,” Thalia’s eyes widened, “Oh, gods.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason frowned, “What’re you guys talking about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thalia murmured something, like a prayer. “I understand now why Artemis sent me here. Jason- she told me to hunt for Lycian and I would find a clue about Percy. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You </span>
  </em>
  <span>are the clue. Artemis wanted us to meet so I could hear your story.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t understand,” he protested. “I don’t have a story. I don’t remember anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But Leo’s right,” Thalia said. “It’s all connected. If we just knew where-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo snapped his fingers. “Jason, what did you call that place in your dream? The Wolf House?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thalia nearly choked, “The Wolf House? Jason, why didn’t you tell me that! </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>where they’re keeping Hera?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know where that is?” Jason asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo turned his head, he heard footsteps in the snow. Piper, Coach Hedge and the other hunters had caught up with them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” One of the hunters asked. “We were looking for you. We saw the bridge go down-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hold up we’re having a breakthrough.” Thalia interrupted. “You four,” she gestures to Leo, Piper, Coach Hedge, and her brother, “keep going at your quest. Find out where the giant is keeping Piper’s dad, save him. The rest of us, we need to get on that bridge. It’s fading fast but if we go now, we can make it. Then we go to the Wolf House. We’ll hold it until you guys get there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The hunters nodded, already running to where the bridge was melting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But, wait,” Jason said, “I don’t even know where the Wolf House is!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know where it is, little brother!” She spoke quickly, “I’ll see you there, I promise!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She gave him a tackle hug, too quick for him to even react, then sprinted to catch up with the other hunters, who had tied ropes to the ends of the arrows, and launched them at the melting bridge. Then they ran </span>
  <em>
    <span>across the rope </span>
  </em>
  <span>(something Leo could never hope to do without whatever fancy ninja training the hunters got), and onto the bridge, running along it without fear of slipping. The bridge was melting fast behind them, the arrows falling loose once the bridge melted where the arrows struck the ice. Before Leo even knew what had happened, the hunters and the bridge disappeared into the mist. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason held his hands in front of him, like he was about to hug Thalia back. Leo had just burned their only exit. Jason had found his sister and lost her in less than an hour, and it’s as all Leo’s fault.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, Jason, honest. I didn’t-“ Leo began.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s alright,” Jason said, but his expression was grim. “We’ve got less than twenty-four hours to rescue a goddess and Piper’s dad, like Thalia said, we’d better hurry. Let’s go see the king of the winds.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 403</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start two weeks after the end of TLH</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Six years old, his first day of camp. Everyone had bowed to him after he had been claimed, he hated the attention. He remembered being put in his cohort. He hated the way they said it, “Oh, you </span>
  </em>
  <span>have </span>
  <em>
    <span>to join the First cohort. It’s the </span>
  </em>
  <span>best </span>
  <em>
    <span>one.” Like he had no choice, like he was their special pet dog. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What’s the worst one, then?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They had paused, they being the predators, who had pulled Jason aside the second he had gotten to camp, the second he got claimed. Jenna and Karlo. They had eventually decided on the fifth cohort, and that’s where Jason decided to go.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It had been a whole day if nothing but new information and confusing faces. Everyone wanted to talk to him, everyone wanted him to do something. He could see it in their eyes. Jason couldn’t remember being around this many people before. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>There was a small gap between the bunk bed and the wall, and everyone was out doing things. Jason was alone, and he was overwhelmed. He wanted to go back home, back to Lupa. But Lupa said he completed his training, he couldn’t go back now.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He tried to stop the tears from falling from his face, but he couldn’t. He didn’t notice anyone walk in until they were standing right in front of him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jason looked up through messy blond hair and met another pair of blue eyes. Pale blue. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Octavian was all pastel colors. Light blue shirt and eyes, pale skin, light blind hair, almost white. He looked at Jason with rounded eyes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I didn’t expect anyone to be here,” Octavian said. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jason wiped away the tears, hoping the other boy didn’t see him cry. Although, the other boy looked close to Jason’s age. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Who are you?” He asked, “I haven’t seen you around before. And I’ve seen </span>
  </em>
  <span>everyone</span>
  <em>
    <span>.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Jason,” he said.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Like the son of Jupiter?” Octavian asked, Jason nodded. “Everyone’s talking about you.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jason looked away, embarrassed. “I wish they wouldn’t.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Why wouldn’t you?” asked the other boy, “I would love it if everyone talked about me. You’ve only been here a day and everyone loves you. I’ve been here my whole life and no one even knows who I am.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You’ve lived here your whole life?” Jason asked, awed. “I don’t know people could do that. How long have you been in the Fifth Cohort for?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The boy tilted his head, confused. “I’m not in a Cohort. I’m seven, I won’t be put in the legion until I’m twelve, dad says so. I live in the city.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“City?” asked Jason, lifted his head from his knees.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Octavian widened his eyes. “No one told you about the city?” When Jason shook his head, Octavian lit up. “Oh, it’s awesome! Camp Jupiter is only a small part of New Rome. The rest of it is a huge Roman city. Lots of people live there. Retired Demigods, descendants. Like, how my grandpa was Apollo. My family lives in an apartment downtown. There’s ships and a library, Oh! And a coffee shop. Have you ever tried hot chocolate?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jason shook his head, he didn’t even know what hot chocolate was.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh, you’ve got to try it.” Said the boy, standing up. “C’mon, I’ll show you.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jason hesitated, “I don’t even know your name.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m Octavian, c’mon, the shop closes soon.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>As it turned out, hot chocolate was delicious</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyday Jason woke up, more of his memories returned. He felt like that every time he went to bed someone was spoon feeding him his repressed memories through his dreams. The more he remembered, the more he wished he didn’t.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s not that he wanted to remain an amnesiac, it’s that he was now remembering how stressful l his life had been.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s was like he was watching his life on the tv from the couch. He was looking in with a completely different prospective. He was able to look at his memories detached, and say ‘oh, that probably wasn’t a good idea, I should have done this instead.’ Or ‘oh, that wasn’t normal and it was probably unhealthy whoops.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason had enough of his memories back to be able to connect the dots, he knew the general story of his life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After Hera had taken him from his family, she dropped his off at the Wolf house, where he trained with Lupa. Lupa trained her students until she saw them fit to join the legion. Some only had to stay a few weeks, some a few months. Jason had to stay for four years. He saw other kids (much older than him) come and go, never staying long enough. He didn’t learn all his mannerisms from wolves. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Your feet need to be farther apart.” Lupa instructed, sitting on her forepaws, watching Jason spar. “You can’t expect to make the journey to camp, much less be accepted into the legion, if you can’t even hold a sword properly!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>…</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He sat with the pack, as the older, human boy taught him how to hold the fork correctly. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Is camp much different than the Pack?” Jason asked him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh, I guess I wouldn’t know,” said the boy, dusty brown locks sweeping in his face. “I haven’t been there either. But Lupa says that she’s supposed to teach us unity and teamwork in the pack, so I guess it can’t be </span>
  </em>
  <span>much </span>
  <em>
    <span>different. Besides the fact that we would all use forks.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jason giggled.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had been six years old, and he finally finished his training. He had to make the whole trek from the Wolf House to Camp Jupiter on his own. And he survived. It was one of those things that, at the time, he had thought it was completely normal but now, looking back, it was not. Sure, demigod normal was different than mortal normal, but he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>six. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And sure, Annabeth had run away from home when she was seven, but that wasn’t normal either. But Lupa was a wolf goddess, Jason probably should really expect her to understand human development. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It probably wasn’t mortal human normal to join the legion at six, either. But when Lupa sent someone directly from the Wolf House after training to camp, the rule was that they join the legion. There wasn’t exactly an age limit, the predator’s hands were tied. The fact that Jason was the son of Jupiter probably helped them rest easy with their decision. Because a son of Jupiter must be </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>much more advanced and skilled than everyone else, right?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He really hadn’t been. People just expected him to be. People looked at Jason and they didn’t see him, they saw his title. And the standards for him were different from everyone else. If he was just barely passing through his training, it wasn’t good enough. He had to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>better </span>
  </em>
  <span>than everyone else. People expected him to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>perfect, </span>
  </em>
  <span>the son of Jupiter, god of the skys, lord of the universe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason tried so hard at the beginning. He wanted to fight against the expectations. He tried so hard to prove to everyone he was just a person, just like them. He wasn’t anything special. It never worked. He was eight when he realized he would never change everyone’s minds. No matter what he said, no matter what he did, he would always be expected to do better, be better. The realization was disheartening, but Jason liked to think he took it in stride.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And it’s not like he enjoyed disappointing people. He wanted to meet up to their expectations. The older he got, the more he realized people weren’t putting him on a pedestal for no reason. They needed him there. The legion wanted Jason to be a leader, they needed strong demigods like him in the Legion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason hadn’t embraced it, but eventually, he had been forced to accept it. He didn’t like it at all. It was stressful and he was always tired, but he tried his best to live up to what everyone wanted him to be. The legion was his home now, and he wanted to be what they wanted him to be, he couldn’t disappoint them, they needed him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a long time, the only person Jason was friends with was Octavian. When people put Jason up on a pedestal, it also made him look untouchable to the others. People though he was on a level they simply could not attain. But Octavian wasn’t like that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His dad- son of Apollo- was close with Predator Karlo. In fact, Karlo had babysat Octavian when he was young. Octavian looked up to Karlo, wanted to be just like him when he grew up (well, Karlo was only nineteen but close enough). Octavian’s dream was to become Predator. Jason thought he would make a great Predator. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian was decisive, he was smart. Not only did he know everyone in New Rome, but he was just good with </span>
  <em>
    <span>people. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He knew how they acted, he knew how to talk to them. He was polite and poised and a natural at all things political. He would make a good leader.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Octavian said it would be a good idea. Jason could feel the soft touch of his hands in his hair, hear the ‘snip’ of scissors going through it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jason’s hair was a wild mane. He didn’t think about cutting it, the Pack hadn’t cared whether he was messy or clean.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But the legion did. Octavian said that when his dad was in the legion, there was a mandatory buzz cut for the boys. Octavian said it would help him fit in more. Looking back now, it felt like Jason was stripping away his identity to become one soldier in a million.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>When he was done, Octavian held up a mirror, letting Jason look back at himself in it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I hate it.” he said.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I think it looks nice,” said Octavian. “You’ll get used to it.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reyna came to camp when Jason was twelve.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, they were both twelve. Reyna was the daughter of Bellona. She was a natural leader. She was headstrong and talented in combat. People treated her the way they treated Jason, but Reyna had </span>
  <em>
    <span>earned </span>
  </em>
  <span>that praise. She had worked for it. The only thing Jason had done was be born. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Reyna had never despised him for it. Jason and Reyna didn’t get along right away, but people kept lumping them together. Whenever someone had to lead something to do some important or difficult task people would throw out suggestions. Someone would say “Jason!” And someone else would say “Reyna!” And then they’d both have to do it. Jason never said no because he didn’t want to disappoint anyone. Reyna never said no because she </span>
  <em>
    <span>enjoyed </span>
  </em>
  <span>the challenge, and wanted to prove herself. Jason never said his worried aloud, he didn’t want people to think he was weak or afraid; he wasn’t. Reyna must have assumed he did things for the same reason she did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he and Reyna did get along eventually. They were friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They sat in the field of Mars, Jason braided thick, black hair. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?” Jason had asked, even though they had talked about it a million times. Even though he knew the answer.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Diocletian Palace, obviously.” said Reyna. “If you could go to the ancient lands, where would you go?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Probably Diocletian’s Palace too.” Jason agreed. “If we ever get out there, I promise, that’s our first stop.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Reyna had laughed, it was an impossibility. Two children who had no idea what the future would hold.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Okay, I’ll hold you to that.” said Reyna. “When we’re predators, we’ll find a way to make it happen.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It wasn’t something Jason liked to think about. But he was already a shoe in for Centron after Casey retired (which would be soon), and the next logical step would be Predator. That’s what everyone would be expecting him to do. He was the son of Jupiter, it just made sense. Maybe he would be good at it, great, even. But was that something he wanted? Did it matter? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Reyna said it like it was an inevitability. Maybe it was. If they asked him to be Predator right now, would he say no? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jason swallowed thickly, feeling like he was betraying Octavian when he said; </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeah, we will.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian joined the First Cohort when he was eleven, two years before Reyna did, and they didn’t get along. Jason wanted his friends to be friends, but in all honesty, he didn’t get to see either of them very often anyway. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian was dedicated, he wanted to become Centron of the First Cohort so he could become Predator. He met with Predator Karlo often, and would tell Jason later how Karlo really thought he would amount to something big within the legion. And Karlo can’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>say </span>
  </em>
  <span>who the next Predator would be, but of course, he thought it would be Octavian. And why wouldn’t it be? Octavian worked harder than anyone. Maybe he was scrawny, but he was quick and smart. Octavian would work until his fingers bled if it meant helping the legion as a whole. Octavian was dedicated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it also meant he didn’t have much free time anymore. But if Jason asked, Octavian would find time for him. He knew he would. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason was made Centron at thirteen, Casey had stepped down. His co Centron, Gwen, was a gentle soul, who could absolutely murder a full grown elephant if she wanted to. She was the kind of person who has soft smiles and warm eyes, she felt like a mother, though she was only two years older than him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dealing with the Fifth Cohort was… an experience. Not only did they get the bottom of the barrel in terms of recruits, but ever since some Demigod lost their septor in Alaska, the Fifth Cohort was plagued with bad luck. They hardly won anything, they were constantly getting stuck with the worst jobs. When Jason joined the fifth Cohort all those years ago, they had expected him to bring some respect to the Cohort, lift them up a bit. When Jason became Centron, it only got worse. The Cohort seemed to expect Jason to single handly carry the Cohort to greatness. It was stressfully, nearly impossible, but Jason wasn’t surprised. People expected things like this from him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He remembered being assigned his first quest, slaying the Trojan sea monster,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I don’t understand, this is a coin.” Jason asked.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Predator Jenna smiled down at him, “It’s name is IVLIVS.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It turns into a sword.” added Predator Karlo.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The quest had been a grueling task, and he had really mastered his handle in controlling the winds.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They pulled him through the wringer, one quest after another. He led a quest to help Bacchus find his missing leopard in Sonoma. He was chosen to go with Reyna on a quest she led to retrieve a stash of Imperial Gold torpedoes from the C.S.S. Hunley at Fort Sumter in Charleston. By the time Jason was fifteen, he had completed more quests than nearly anyone else in camp, and everyone knew he would be the next Predator, as is was rumored Karlo and Jenna would be stepping down soon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It caused a rift between him and Octavian. Jason knew Octavian still desperately wanted to become Predator. And he knew every Probatio wanted Jason to be Predator, Octavian knew it too. But Octavian was still Jason's friend, and had never whispered a bad word about him in his life, and had not planned to. He never spoke against Jason being Predator, and neither did Jason. Jason knew it was what the people wanted, and he wanted to be what they wanted him to be. He wouldn’t let them down, he just couldn’t. He and Octavian did talk about it, because they knew they would end up fighting. So it went ignored. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They spent less time together, but that was fine too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Jason was fifteen, Octavian told him his greatest secret. Octavian had the gift of prophecy. Gods and deities and monsters whispered in Octavian’s dreams, visions of the future. The only people who knew about this were his father and Predator Karlo. If people knew, they would call for him to be the new Augur. And it wasn’t like that was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>bad </span>
  </em>
  <span>position, Augur’s were well respected and an important part of the legion as a whole, but Octavian couldn’t be Predator and Augur at the same time. And no one who had been Augur had become Predator before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Octavian was having bad dreams of late. Monsters, Titans. Octavian had seen a huge black throne that sat atop Mount Othrys, fit for a king or a Titan. He could tell something bad was going to happen soon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason urged Octavian to share his dreams with the council, it could save lives. Maybe it was because Jason was so used to putting the Legion and their wants above his own, but he managed to convince Octavian to throw away his dreams. They’re could have been another way, they could have lied and said it was Jason’s dream, or asked the predators not to reveal Octavian as a seer, but Jason let Octavian throw everything away. He would never forgive himself for it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He remembered the council meeting where Octavian had shared his information, he remembered the voting for him to become Augur, he remembered wanting to say something, but not being able to push past the fear of everyone </span>
  <em>
    <span>looking </span>
  </em>
  <span>at him… disappointed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he said nothing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he voted no.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Octavian was made Augur.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason could tell he was unhappy, but he wasn’t sure what he should do about it, what he </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> do about it. If Octavian wanted him to do anything about it. They never ended up talking about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Jason would later find out, Luke Calestian was waging a war in Camp Half-Blood. The Legion sent scouts to Mount Othrys. They saw Kronos and the other Titans in a small temple they had built for themselves. They saw the black throne, Kronos’s source of power. The plan the council had come up with was to wait until the temple was empty, or close to empty, or Kronos, at least, wasn’t there. Then they would lead a charge up the mountain and topple the throne over, unstabling his power so he could be defeated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the Legion got ready for war, Jason would later find out that Camp Half Blood had gone into battle in Manhattan. Scouts had come back, saying Kronos was no longer there, only the Titan Krois remained. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason and Reyna led the Twelfth Legion into battle. They weren’t predators, it wasn’t their place, but it just felt appropriate. Everyone knew they would become predators eventually, why fight fate? Jason was done fighting fate. Responsibility and leadership roles and expectation had weighted down Jason’s shoulders, he gave up fighting it. The legion wanted him to lead, they wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer, so why bother saying it?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Halfway up the mountain, the Legion was faced with an army of Scythian dracanae. Jason alone was able to make it to the temple. He remembered fighting Krois, he had nearly lost.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Drenched in sweat, his imperial gold armor weighed him down. His helmet had been cast away somewhere and yet, Jason forced himself to stand. His nose was bleeding, he didn’t care. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The Titan looked down on him, annoyed the demigod was still alive. Jason flew up into the sky, wanting to end this, needing to end this. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Father, you’ve never done anything for me, and I've never asked for anything. But please, just this once…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Thunder rumbled as lightning </span>
  </em>
  <span>cracked, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jason felt the white hot lightning strike him straight at his head, where his crown was. It rattled in his brain and fell into his chest, swimming into his stomach, reaching down into his legs and out of his toes. Jason was a conductor of lightning, a weapon of justice, and he heard a loud </span>
  </em>
  <span>BOOM </span>
  <em>
    <span>as the lightning struck below him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>When Jason opened his eyes, he was back on the earth. Krois was nowhere to be seen, and all around him, was black, charred rubble of what used to be Kronos’s throne.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They never found Kronos. Jason now knew that was because of Percy and Annabeth. Predator Jenna had been killed in the battle, and Predator Karlo stepped down in his grief. Reyna and Jason were elected predators rather quickly and without much fanfare. Jason knew Octavian was disappointed, but Jason knew if anyone could become Predator after being Augur, Octavian could. No one was as dedicated as him. Though the fact that Jason was now standing firmly in between Octavian and his goal was too obvious to ignore. Jason knew Octavian was bitter at the situation and not at Jason, but he still felt guilty. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was around this time Jason became incredibly aware Reyna had a crush on him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t as though Jason didn’t hear the comments. People knew Karlo and Jenna had been together, predators often worked closely and developed romantic relationships. People would hint at it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Do you have a girlfriend yet, Jason? </span>
  </em>
  <span>But Jason didn’t feel that way about Reyna </span>
  <em>
    <span>at all. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. Reyna made no move to tell him about it, he felt weird even </span>
  <em>
    <span>knowing. </span>
  </em>
  <span>But at the same time… it felt like that’s what people wanted him to do. And if that’s what people wanted… could it really be all that bad? He couldn’t break Reyna’s heart- she was his best friend, and he didn’t have any back up friends, he couldn’t lose her. He couldn’t risk having her hate him or making things weird. He hoped she would move on. But if she asked him, Jason wasn’t so sure he would feel comfortable saying no.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Had he ever been?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wondered how Reyna was now. He wondered how Octavian was. They hadn’t really left things well. Did he hate Jason? Did Reyna?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Two weeks into making blueprints for the Argo II and Leo was already burnt out. He slumped over his desk in Bunker Nine, Annabeth pacing behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“C’mon, brain,” Leo scolded himself, “Think good thoughts.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth groaned, “I hate this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you want to be an architect?” asked Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And?” Annabeth snapped back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fair enough.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This would go on for another hour before one of them had an idea about how the engine room would be constructed and then they’d get burnt out and call it a day. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that’s what being an ADHD engineer was like.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo had stopped counting the weeks, but he had been building the Argo II for at least a month now. The weird thing was, he distinctly remembered falling asleep at his desk, and now he was waking up, laying in one of the cots in bunker nine. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sitting up, Leo rubbed his eyes and tried to remember walking over here, but couldn’t. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he caught a sight on blond hair. Leaning over the side of the cot, Leo could see Jason, sitting with his back against the side of the cot, arms crossed, fast asleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Confusion grew to understanding as Leo connected the dots; Jason must have seen Leo asleep on the desk and carried him someplace more comfortable, then fell asleep beside him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo had once been afraid that once Jason got his memories back, he would remember he had cooler Roman friends back at his cooler Roman camp, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Every day Jason’s memory grew stronger, and he hadn’t changed his behavior towards himself or Piper at all. He kept calling Leo his best friend. Which made him kind of concerned that Jason really just didn’t have any friends until the age of sixteen but mostly it made him feel warm and fuzzy inside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not really thinking, Leo ran a hand through Jason’s hair, waking him up. Jason opened his eyes, squinting, like he couldn’t quite see anything in front of him. He managed to look up and met Leo’s eyes, then his face softened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The next thing Jason knew, he was laying in a cot at the medical wing at Camp Jupiter. Letting his eyes adjust, he saw Octavian standing to his right. Krois must have perished, or he wouldn’t be here. Right?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Octavian notice his stirring and rushed over to help him sit up. How long had he been here? Jason was glad he was, but didn’t he have more important Augur things to be doing?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I foresaw you would get hurt in the battle,” the Augur began, “but when I saw the damage, I though you had perished.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Ah, that’s right, Octavian didn’t participate in the battle. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I would caution you against being so reckless and heroic in the future, I’d hate for you to end up a myrtr.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jason laughed, and Octavian tilted his head to the side, like a confused owl.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What’s so funny?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“ ‘You would caution me’.” Jason repeated. “Who talks like that?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Octavian crossed his arms, “What’s so funny about the way I talk?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Nothing funny, so much as weird.” Jason added, “You sound like an old timey god. Detached. Like you don’t really care if I live or die.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I care about you, Jason,” said Octavian, sounding hurt that Jason would think anything else. “much more than just whether you live or die.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s true that Jason and Octavian hadn’t been spending much time with one another, even before things went crazy with the Titans. And maybe Jason had secretly feared that Octavian didn’t want to be Jason’s friend anymore. It was plausible. Jason needed Octavian much more than Octavian needed him. Octavian had dozens of friends, Jason really only had two. But Octavian wouldn’t tell such a huge lie, directly to his face. Maybe friendships were just supposed to be that strong?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I know,” Jason lied.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was still early, and Leo suspected the other Hephaestus kids wouldn’t be down to the bunker for a while, so Leo got back to work. Jason hovered over him, holding heavy objects and fetching him tools when he needed them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo could tell there was something on Jason’s mind, but didn’t pressure him to talk about it. Eventually, he asked;</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey man, can I ask you something?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo put down his wrench and turned to face him, “‘Course. What is it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason fidgeted with his hands. Leo had slowly become used to being surrounded by demigods with ADHD and dyslexia like himself, but Jason claimed to not have either. Maybe Roman demigods were just different? Either way, the fidgeting made Leo uneasy, not much phased Leo’s friend, or made him nervous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have the same fake memories Piper has, right?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo nodded, confused where he might be going with this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you remember what it was like when she and I dated, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo scrunched up his nose, “I guess?” he said, “But they’re not real, why do you care?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason ran an anxious hand through his hair, “I don’t, but I think Piper does. I think she still likes me the way she did then. Or, I mean, she likes the version of me she remembers… but also the me now? Or she just likes the fake me and thinks she likes the real me? I’m confusing myself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, girls </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>confusing.” Leo sympathized, “So, you think she likes you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason shrugged. “I think so. Or, I think she thinks so.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So why do you want to know about your fake memories? Or uh, ours. I guess.” Honestly, the whole memory situation stuff confused Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I dunno,” Jason sighed, “I want to try to get into Piper’s headspace. I mean, she remembers a whole other version of me. You did too. And she </span>
  <em>
    <span>liked </span>
  </em>
  <span>that version of me, we literally dated. I don’t know what was different about him, or the same, but I want to know what she’s thinking of me, so I… so I’ll know what to do next. I guess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now, I have adhd, so I understand a weird train of thought when I hear one, and that is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>weird </span>
  </em>
  <span>train of thought.” said Leo. Jason looked sheepishly at the floor. “Dude,” Leo continued, “do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>like Piper?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The son of Jupiter looked up at him in shock, as though he was surprised he asked such a question. As though he had never been asked what he wanted before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess so.” Jason decided, “Piper’s great. She’s nice and funny, and pretty. I know we get along well because we’re already best friends. And I know </span>
  <em>
    <span>she </span>
  </em>
  <span>likes </span>
  <em>
    <span>me, </span>
  </em>
  <span>so Piper and I make sense.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo snorted, “You should hear yourself talk. ‘Piper and I make sense.’ If you like her then you </span>
  <em>
    <span>like </span>
  </em>
  <span>her. There’s not much else to it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You make it sound so easy.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s a gift.” Leo said, praising himself. “But seriously, if you like Piper, you should tell her. And if you’re worried about the whole ‘fake memories’ thing and Piper liking a fake version of you instead of the real version of you, then you should talk about it with her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason nodded, “That’s surprisingly good advice. Thanks, Leo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean ‘surprising?’” Leo asked, at almost the exact time Bunker Nine’s front door creaked open, saving Jason from answering. Leo looked up to see who it was, and spotted Nysa, two of his half brothers, and Piper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s Piper!” Leo whisper-shouted at Jason as the four of them descended the stairs to where the Argo II was stationed, “Quick, act natural.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Awkwardly and panicking, Jason leaned against a wall and put a free hand on his hip.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not that natural!” Leo scolded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason stood upright and put both hands in his hips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay you look like a suburban dad, that’s not natural enough!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Panicking again, Jason went to take a step toward Leo, but slipped on the wrench Leo had dropped earlier and fell on his face. Leo slapped his hands over his mouth to avoid laughing and Piper and the others found them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Morning, Leo.” said Piper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that Jason on the floor?” asked Nyssa.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He has a headache.” Leo said, in a perfectly created lie. Jason from his place face down on the floor raised a thumbs up, though Leo could see his ears tinged red. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, then.” Piper said, not really wanting to know. “Where are we at with the Argo?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It happened sort of suddenly. Piper was watching the other campers climb the lava wall on her break from activities and was joined by Jason, who had a free day. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were just kinda sitting around, goofing off. Then Jason had leaned in to kiss her and Piper had let him. And then suddenly they were dating.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t too different from how it happened in Piper’s fake memories. They had a romantic date on a rooftop and kissed and started dating. Piper could only hope that the week and a half of dating she remembered would be like the dating that would follow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Piper had brought up the fake memories, Jason had opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but he hadn’t.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo wasn’t surprised when Jason and Piper started dating again. He had been working in bunker nine that whole day, and Piper had mentioned it to him in passing and Leo had said</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Piper! That kind of </span>
  <em>
    <span>major news, </span>
  </em>
  <span>why didn’t you </span>
  <em>
    <span>start </span>
  </em>
  <span>with that?!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Piper had laughed at him. But the thing was, Leo had a perfectly good reason to be afraid of Piper and Jason dating. If the two of them kept hanging out without Leo, they might forget about him, they might not want him around anymore. They might </span>
  <em>
    <span>expect </span>
  </em>
  <span>him to leave them alone. And that would be third wheeling, and that would </span>
  <em>
    <span>suck. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So far (and it had only been a couple days) nothing’s changed, but Leo was still anxious. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was still early though, and Leo was still working on the Argo. Annabeth was up early though too (Leo suspected she never slept). </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think this goes here.” Leo said, squeezed between wooden boards, standing on scaffolding, trying to attach the metal pipes together to create the plumbing system.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, thats what the paper says.” Annabeth informed him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, that can't be right. It makes no sense for these two to attach.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure it does,” Annabeth countered, “they’re carrying water to the same place.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but the pipe isn’t thick enough for the water to be coming from two streams, here needs to be a basin in the middle.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the heck is a basin?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo sighed, “like a metal connecting rod thing that's a big container thingy and holds all the water so it filters through- how do you not know what a basin is?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not on the plans,” said Annabeth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh for the love of- let me see that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo squeezed back through the structure and hopped down next to the blond, snatching the plans from her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, see here? That ‘x’ is supposed to be a basin.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” Annabeth argued, “that’s just the connecting point. We never agreed on putting a basin in the plumbing system.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t really see myself agreeing to a plumbing system without basins.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth gave a long, tired sigh. “You’re the worst.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nuh uh,” said Leo, “I think I’m starting to grow on you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth held up her hand so her index finger and thumb were almost touching. “A teensey bit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yesalright!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Leo said, giving himself a mental high five. “Now let’s revise these plans…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“... then the bouncer said, seven year olds can’t enter the contest, which was so dumb- I could’ve beat anyone there.” Annabeth was saying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason laid on the floor, feeling stupid for even coming here. But he had been doing it a lot over the past week, if he was being honest with himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So Thalia said, ‘what about twelve year olds?’ Because we’d been waiting on that line for like, an hour, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>one </span>
  </em>
  <span>of us was getting inside that tent.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Athena cabin was too similar to his own cabin for him to like it. Too neat, too unlived in. He knew there were too many adhd teenagers living in this space for there not to be a really weird reason for it to be so clean. Maybe Annabeth made a chore chart. Jason didn’t have adhd himself, but he knew having solid deadlines made people more motivated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But Luke and I, we had no idea if Thalia was any good at Hacky-Sack or not. I was the only one who played it, and I played it on my own. But the bouncer said twelve was fine, so Thalia went in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hated how empty his own cabin was, so big and empty, he felt so alone, sleeping there. Even when he was Predator, he hadn’t been sleeping so far away from other people. The only reason he could stand it was that Thalia lived there before him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Luke and I made sure a lot of people bet on Thalia. We were totally lying too, just making up stories about how </span>
  <em>
    <span>amazing </span>
  </em>
  <span>she was at Hacky-Sack. If she ended up losing, we would look like idiots. We ended up getting a bunch of people to place bets on her, so if she won, we’d be getting a lot of cash. That was probably a lot of pressure, though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason liked the idea of living in a space that Thalia had occupied. It almost felt like they were taking up the same space, which meant it was almost like they were actually living together, which was almost like they were family. And they were, on a technicality. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The competition started, it wasn’t super organized. Just like, ‘keep the ball off the ground for as long as you can’. Thalia was doing pretty good though, at first.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was why he was here. In Annabeth’s room, listening to her story. Jason had never had family before, not </span>
  <em>
    <span>real </span>
  </em>
  <span>family. The closest thing Jason could remember to family was Lupa. She had felt like a mother to him, for years. In Camp Jupiter, he had been constantly surrounded by peers, demigods, probatio, just like him. But there had always been a distinct separation from him and the rest of them. A gap that was a constant reminder that he wasn’t one of them. He was a Son of Jupiter, he wasn’t one of them, he had to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>better</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Everyone expected him to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>better</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then Luke said, he figured Thalia wasn’t actually really good at this. So he and I, he thought it would be fun if we messed with the other contestants, so Thalia would win. It was totally cheating, but we did it anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He thought- meeting Thalia- that she would be just like him. They had the same parents, she was a daughter of Zeus, she had lived in a camp just like him, and then the hunters of Artemis. Either way, she had been surrounded by demigods and hunters, they must put her up on a pedestal as well. Thought she was better than them. She must feel the same stress and pressure to be perfect that he did. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We wolf whistled from the sidelines to make people distracted. We kicked some of the discarded balls back into the ring to trip people up. Once, Luke kicked up dust so one of the contestants couldn’t see. I was laughing so hard, the bouncers were so mad at us, but they couldn’t prove we were doing anything wrong, so they couldn’t kick us out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But she hadn’t. When Jason had met her, Thalia had radiated self confidence. Just by looking at her, Jason could tell she had it all figured out. She seemed so at home with the hunters, they felt like a real family, a tight knit group. Did she even need Jason? She already had a family, she didn’t need him. She had the hunters and, as Jason was finding out, she had Annabeth and Luke. Or. She used to have Luke.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Eventually it was only Thalia and this other guy left. He was pretty big and burly. Luke had this great idea, we spat spitballs at him, and he lost his focus. But then, the bouncers had seen us do it, so they chased us out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s not that Jason </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted </span>
  </em>
  <span>her to be lonely and have perfectionist issues like he did, he just thought that he would be able to relate to her. That they would be similar and comparable and she would want to get to know him. That she had missed him, maybe. Jason barely knew Thalia (he barely remembered her), but he </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>wanted her to like him. So badly it hurt. He wanted her to understand what he’s going through, he wanted to talk about it to someone who understood. (Not even Reyna really understood Jason, even though she was forced into leadership too. But she had wanted to become Predator, she had wanted this outcome. Jason hadn’t). He wanted Thalia to be his family. He had never had one before and he found himself longing for one. What must it be like, to know that there’s a handful of people who will always live and support you without you constantly having to prove that you deserve it?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The judges and staff couldn’t prove we were affiliated with Thalia, though. When Luke and I were chased out, we waited a whole hour for her in the parking lot. She found us, and she had won the whole pot. She never told us exactly what went down, but she said that she ‘convinced’ them to give it to her, but I'm pretty sure she threatened them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason closed his eyes tight, trying to picture a twelve year old Thalia walking into the parking lot, cash in hand. That’s why he was here, right? He wanted to know who Thalia was, and only Annabeth had really known her. Jason hadn’t meant to, but he had made a habit of asking Annabeth for stories about her, desperately clawing at the warmth that family was supposed to come with. Jason had been in camp for months now, and Thalia had never visited. Since you had to know both someone's name and location to Iris message them, he’s been unable to reach Thalia. The hunters of Artemis didn’t have a camp, they were constantly on the move, so he couldn’t get a message through. And </span>
  <em>
    <span>she</span>
  </em>
  <span> hadn’t messaged </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>. So Iris messaging was out. And it’s not like he could visit her, even if they weren’t constantly moving, he doubted he would be allowed to visit- being a boy and all. He had hoped she would pop in and check on him, or send an Iris message, or anything at all(she must know where he is by now), but it had never happened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We ate good that week.” Annabeth concluded. “But I still think I should’ve been allowed in that contest.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason almost thought it was weird that Annabeth had more of a sister relationship with Thalia than Jason did, or maybe ever would. Though, he supposed, it wasn’t all too weird. Even at camp Jupiter, cohorts often acted and operated like a weird found family. People usually grew close when they had to share such close quarters for that long. But not Jason, though. People had always kept their distance from him, thinking he was just too important for them to associate with. Most of Jason’s attempts to reach out and make connections were rebuffed and shot down. He really only made friends with Octavian because he wasn’t intimidated by the idea of befriending a Son of Jupiter. But then again, Octavian’s head had always worked differently than everyone else’s. In a good way. And Reyna had only been his friend because people saw her on the same “level” as Jason. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason hadn’t realized it until he was in an entirely new environment than the one he grew up in, but he craved connections. Real connections. In Camp Jupiter, he had two friends, and even then, they hadn’t been very close. He and Reyna had gotten to the point where they could have silent conversations, just looking at one another and just </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>what was going on inside their head. But there was a fine line Jason couldn’t cross, a level of comradeship that they just could have. A thick veil of professionalism they had to hide behind. They could show weakness like caring, not even to one another. They were both often sad people. They could talk about how Life Sucked for hours, and then immediately do what they were complaining about.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With Octavian, they had been close originally. Jason cited Octavian as being the only person who he could just be himself around. When they were very small, they did everything together. The more obvious it became that Jason was going to live Octavian’s dream, the more tense their interactions became. They started hanging out and talking about their feelings less. Jason remembered the horrible realization that there was nothing in his life he could talk to Octavian about without making him upset. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Camp Half-Blood’s vibe was completely different from Camp Jupiter’s. Camp Jupiter was a military encampment, where prabatio should train like there was a war coming, and they burned “S.P.Q.R.” Into your skin and there was complete organization and everyone abetted authority. There was a clear divide between those of different parents/ godly parents, different cohorts, and different rankings. Camp Half-Blood was a place to train Greek demigods but above all, it was a summer camp. They had loosely scheduled training exercises disguised as camp activities, preparing preteen demigods for any dangers they might face in the outside world. (That was another thing that shocked Jason, Greek demigods could just leave. Whenever. They didn’t have to stay, they weren’t punished. They just… could go. Camp Half-Blood’s whole purpose was preparing demigods for life on the outside. In New Rome, probatio- once they finished their required years in the legion- usually stayed within the city. They were cut off from the outside world. Leo had said that ‘sounded like a cult’). No one was treated more importantly or different from anyone else. There was like, a hazing period for new campers, but that was it. It was almost weird.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The biggest stark difference though, was how Jason had friends here. He had Annabeth, who was patient and smart and made notes of everything Jason told her about Camp Jupiter. There was Piper, pretty and sweet and badass. Leo, funny and caring and hardworking, down in bunker nine. These people actually cared about him, genuinely. He hadn’t known how much he had wanted that before now. And he had wanted that with Thalia. But did Thalia want that with him? Should he be trying harder to reach out? What was he doing wrong?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Jason agreed, “You should’ve.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Mark of Athena</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mark of Athena rewrite; we’re focusing more on Jason and Piper here.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Start Mark of Athena Page 16</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason was confident in Annabeth’s skills, right up until she Juno flipped Percy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The day had already been relatively cruddy. Everyone was nervous. Leo was checking everything on the ship to make sure it worked. Piper was freaking out about how she would use her charmspeak when they finally arrived, Annabeth had just been freaking out in general. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason had been in situations like this before. When everyone was freaking out, he had to step up. He had to be a leader. He had to act calm, take charge, calm everyone else down so they could act rationally. People expected it of him. So Jason had volunteered to stand on the prow, make himself a target, so when the Roman saw him they (hopefully) wouldn’t shoot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before going in the ship, Jason had been panicking. Well, he was still panicking. He had spent so much time in the Greek camp (a handful of months, but still). Did he look Roman anymore? Did he act Roman enough? Would they accept him back? Did he </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>them too? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever. He had wrapped himself in a purple toga and a purple cape and asked Piper to cut his hair before boarding. There was a military haircut standard for probatio boys in Camp Jupiter. It had recently been disbanded for being “outdated”, but Jason had always stuck by it. His hair had begun to grow out with his time at Camp Half-Blood, and he wanted to make sure the Romans knew he was still one of them. Because he was. Wasn't he?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had still been panicking when they were in the ship. Would they want him back? Would anyone be happy to see him? He thought he was masking his anxiety fairly well, though. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>have a lot of practice. Interacting with Terminus had gone fairly well. It definitely could have been worse. Seeing his camp again, even from the air, made him feel nostalgic. The only home he had ever known, he was back. Still anxious, though. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they descended, he noticed Reyna immediately. It was hard </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>to notice her. She hadn’t changed. She was still confident and imposing, staring down Annabeth- noticing her as the leader- and completely disregarding Jason. He had expected her to. He knew they wouldn’t be having some sort of tearful reunion. Duty came first, they had to be formal. He saw Octavian, who had a neutral face as he looked over the Greeks, also expected. Jason kept his face selectively neutral as well. All the same, his heart ached to see them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then there was a guy with dark hair standing next to Reyna in a formal toga and a purple cape; Predator ropes. He squinted, trying to place his face, but couldn’t. Jason had guessed that the Romans may have replaced him as Predator while he was away (which, as an idea, he wasn’t sure how to feel about. He had never wanted to be Predator, sure. But what was he, if he wasn’t Predator? Wasn’t that what the Romans wanted for him? Was he really replaced so easily? The only way forward Jason had seen for himself was the road paved for him. Probatio. Centron. Predator. If he wasn’t Predator now, what was he working towards? What was he supposed to do? What did they </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>him to do?), but he would have expected it to be a high ranking Centron, someone he already knew, someone was a high status. He has half expected it to be Octavian (though he knew Reyna wouldn’t have put him in that position, she couldn’t stand him). </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So who was this guy?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then Annabeth had run across the divide between their two groups and Juno flipped him. Actually, she had made out with him first. Then it had clicked; this must be Percy Jackson.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Percy couldn’t have been in Camp for more than a month, and he had already made the rank of Predator? On one hand, he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> impressed. The rumors about him at camp must not have been exaggerated at all. In the other hand, </span>
  <em>
    <span>what?</span>
  </em>
  <span> You had to have years of experience in the Legion to even make Centurion. And Percy got it just like that? What?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He noticed the Romans looking at Percy and Annabeth hostilely. He remembered this was the first time any of these people had met Greeks before, and their first impression of them was that they were reckless and emotional. Jason decided to jump in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He cleared his throat. “So, yeah… it’s good to be back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reyna’s gaze softened at him, if only monoscopicly. “And we are happy to see you returned. We saw you holographic message before you arrived. My name is Predator Reyna. This is our esteemed Argur, Octavian.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian looked at the gathered group with collective indifference. His eyes fell on Jason, and his hairs rose with his icy gaze. Was he unhappy to see him?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is our ship’s crew, Piper and Leo.”  Piper looked a bit uneasy while Leo grinned and flashed the Predator peace signs. “And this is Annabeth. Uh, she doesn’t normally Juno flip people.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reyna eyed Annabeth again, regarding her once more as the leader. “You sure you're not a Roman, Annabeth? Or an Amazon?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth looked flushed, confused by the compliment. She held out her hand. “I only attack my boyfriend like that.” She promised. “Pleased to meet you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reyna shook her hand readily. She began giving out orders for a feast, and Jason found himself about to pitch in instinctively and stopped himself. It would be appropriate. He might not be Predator anymore. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Two figures that he vaguely recognized walked up to Percy. One he recognized as Hazel, she was in his old cohort. And the other he couldn’t pin a name to. He realized Hazel was staring idly at Leo, and Jason felt the gut reaction to stand in front of him, protect him somehow. But no, Jason remembered Hazel being a kind soul, he was sure it wasn’t unnecessary. Then he noticed Percy looking at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t an angry gaze, but something about his face made Jason immediately think “</span>
  <em>
    <span>troublemaker</span>
  </em>
  <span>”. As Predator, he had to deal with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot </span>
  </em>
  <span>of unruly teenagers. Percy had a look in his eye like he was about to interrupt a lecture to call Jason a nerd. It didn’t put him on edge, it just made him cautious. Which he shouldn’t be. He had the inkling suspicion that Annabeth didn’t trust him (which was fine, most people didn’t), but he trusted her. If she said Percy was trustworthy, then he was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He zoned back into the conversation and heard Octavian's voice. “Forgive me Predator, but is it wise to invite these </span>
  <em>
    <span>grecus </span>
  </em>
  <span>into camp?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re not inviting them into camp,” Reyna corrected him, “we’re going to eat here, in the Forum.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian looked like he was holding back a snarky comment in an attempt to remain professional. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jason has introduced them as friends, would you not trust his word?” Reyna said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a momentary silence as Jason could feel everyone disappear except the three of them. Reyna and Octavian oftentimes seemed to weaponize the other ones feeling of trust and friendship about Jason against one another. Sort of a way of saying “I trust/ like Jason, don’t you?” Like they were trying to win some sort of contest, who was the better friend? Jason never quite understood it, but he had a feeling it had something to do with the fact that neither of them had any other close friends, and neither of them were very sharing people. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian slipped his stare to Jason, and he froze underneath it. Then an easy smile formed on his face, and the tension in Jason’s shoulders melted. Octavian still liked him, they were still friends. “Of course.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you make a sacrifice to the gods to thank them for Jason’s safe return.” Reyna suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Octavian, go burn your bears.” Percy imputed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian shot Percy a look of utter disdain and walked off without another word. Jason was shocked. Percy was supposed to be a Predator, he couldn’t just… order people around like that. Predators weren’t supposed to show favoritism among the probatio, even when they didn’t like someone. He couldn’t just order people around when he didn’t like them, it was an abuse of power!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had no doubt Percy was a good demigod and probably a good person all around, but he didn’t seem like someone who would be a good fit for Predator. What had Reyna been thinking? Did she put him in that position because he didn’t like Octavian (the same way she didn’t), or because she knew he would have to leave eventually? Either way, it was definitely a power play. Octavian was the obvious next choice for Predator, and Reyna clearly didn’t want him in the position. Did she put Percy there just so he couldn’t get it?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason sighed, that sounded exactly like something she’d do. But Percy wasn’t a permanent solution, she had to know that. He would choose to leave for Camp Half-Blood. So Reyna had basically put a Dummy in the position to keep it from being taken. To what? To buy her time to look for new options? Maybe to buy her time for something else. Had she been waiting for Jason to come back? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yeah, that sounds like something she’d do.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s talk, so that we can have a proper reunion.” Said Reyna.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 20</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 22 </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why wouldn’t have Lupa warned us that a goddess had been in imprisoned on her property?” Octavian asked. To anyone else it might’ve sounded accusatory, but Jason knew Octavian well enough to know he had just been curious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We had a suspicion the giants had managed to find a way to silence her.” Jason said. “Or she was just being Lupa, letting her children do their own work.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian nodded. It was good to see he was still on Jason's side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 22</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 23 </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No wonder they made you Predator.” Said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason knew Reyna had to have some of the people backing her up when she made the decision to make Percy Predator. Now knowing what he had done, Jason could almost visualize it. Percy defeats a giant in the middle of camp. Everyone calls him a hero. Reyna takes advantage of the situation and suggests making him Predator. In a complete spur of the moment thing, Percy becomes Predator. Reyna was such an evil mastermind, minus the evil part. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And with Jason’s return, we have three Predators.” Octavian said. “Now the question is, who is going to step down?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian said it with a calm neutrality, but looked at Jason. Jason knew why. He had never verbalized that he didn’t want to be Predator, but Octavian could read Jason like a book. He had always been like that (for Jason, it had been more than a struggle to understand Octavian). Octavian was trying to give Jason the opportunity to turn down Predatorship. This, he was sure, was also tied in to the fact that if Jason turned down the Predatorship and so did Percy, he could take the position. He felt a bit used, but Octavian was just like that sometimes. He was a very driven person. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It hadn’t really been an option before. Even before the war with the Titans, it was clear he was on the path to becoming Predator. It was the path that was chosen for him, there was no stepping off it. And now he was being given a choice. He was in a unique position. Someone equally qualified could take the position from him. Jason had never had a choice before. Could he really just walk away from being Predator? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And do what? Go back to being Centurion, maybe? Be a regular Probatio? Who was he, if he wasn’t who everyone wanted him to be?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can step down for Jason, no biggie.” Said Percy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason flinched. That was it? No biggie? He didn’t think he had a complete responsibility to the entire legion and everyone in it to fulfill his duty as Predator? He could step down just like that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, uh,” Jason began. He suddenly felt small and unimportant. How stupid he had been, for even a second, to think he could subvert fate? Of course he would have to be Predator again. How could he be anything else? “Well,” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps this is a subject the court can talk about later, in private. Especially since it sounds like both Percy and Jason are apart of a rather important Prophecy, and may not be able to commit to any Predator duties right now.” Reyna said, rather forcefully. Octavian just shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy sat back down, and talked to Jason. “Annabeth tells me you’re Thalia Grace’s brother, huh? Wow. You guys look nothing alike.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason flinched. Oh great, another reminder about that thing he was insecure about; being nothing like his sister, and that a bunch of random teenagers he had never met before know her better than he does. “Yeah, I noticed. Thanks.” Jason says as politely as he can.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth kicks Percy under the table, a silent way of telling him to shut up. Annabeth was the only one who knew he felt that way. He was sure Percy meant to be sincere but…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 23</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 27 </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, yes that </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>the right amount,” Octavian said, “I think we should hold a council meeting or something. Frank and Hazel are hardly ready for such a commitment, we have other probatio who may be more </span>
  <em>
    <span>suitable</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He looked to Reyna for her word.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t get to answer</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 27</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 31</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I agree,” said Octavian. “Perhaps I should go prepare the courtroom?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reyna held up a hand. “After the feast.” She said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The conversation held normally after that. Mostly small talk about how Percy’s been since they’ve seen him last, what the Greek camp is like, trading war stories. Annabeth had been able to explain that Grover couldn’t come with them because he had Nature duties to attend to, but he tried his best to get away, and he sent well wishes. He noticed Leo had built a pinwheel out of aluminum foil taco wrappers. He resisted the urge to laugh. Even in the most tense of times, Leo was Leo. It was very endearing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the conversation moved on, he noticed several Romans staring and whispering at his friends, but particularly Leo. Again, he felt the urge to stand between him and the others. Then, he realized why.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo was everything the Greeks were, and the Romans weren’t. Annabeth and even Piper could probably pass for probatio, but Leo couldn’t. Leo was everything a probatio wasn't. He was a free spirit. He was funny and spontaneous and he broke rules Jason didn’t even know existed. He was creative and unique. If Leo had been a son of Vulcan instead of Hephaestus, Jason could only think of two outcomes. The legion would have ironed out all of Leo’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Leo, </span>
  </em>
  <span>made him a soldier, just like everyone else. Or, they would have kicked him out for breaking rules and being too wild. He didn’t know which idea he hated more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, he noticed Octavian hadn't been talking for a while, looking up at the Argo II. Jason kicked his shin softly under the table to get his attention. “What's on your mind?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian looked back down at Jason and he could feel the shift in mood, they were falling back into what their friendship was. Easy conversation, the other as their only confident. “Do the Greeks just have giant war machines hanging around their camp?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually,” said Jason, “Leo designed and built that ship specifically for our quest.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Having his name mentioned in the conversation, Leo looked up from where he was in the middle eating a slice of pizza. He gave Jason and Octavian a thumbs up before swallowing. “I mean, I had help.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How does it fly like that? Magic?” Octavian asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo grinned, he was super passionate about the Argo, and jumped on any opportunity to talk about it. “Oh man, that’s a loaded question. I’d have to take you to the boiler room to even begin to explain it.” Then he clapped his hands excitedly. “Oh! I could show you!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian looked at him with disdain, Jason could tell he didn’t like or trust Leo. But to be fair, Octavian didn’t like or trust most people. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I, for one, think that’s a great idea.” Said Reyna, overhearing. Octavian stared at her like she had lost her mind. He looked at Jason for support, but he smiled and shrugged. Reyna outrank him now, it was out of his hands. “Just be back in one hour for the senate meeting.” Said Reyna with finality. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason didn’t really like the idea of Leo and Octavian alone. There was no universe where he could see the two of them getting along. Though, all his friends were like that. Reyna and Octavian couldn’t get along for the life of them. He couldn’t see either of them liking Piper, Leo, or Annabeth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Leo and Octavian stood up all the same, walking off to the ship.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 32</span>
</p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 43</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Showing Piper around new Rome wasn't exactly how he had wanted it to go. All these places held such sentimental value to him, and Piper didn’t even understand the basics of what most of the building were even for. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not that he blames her, why should she? She was Greek. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t seem happy to be back.” Piper said. “Everything okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They stopped walking. “Yeah, I’m alright.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is where you grew up, huh?” She said. “Gotta say, it explains a lot.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason laughed. “Yeah, fair enough.” He said. “I might’ve grown up here, but it doesn’t feel like home, y’know? Like, I’ve never known anything else… but New Rome as always felt more like a military compound than a home.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper sighed. She opened her mouth to say something, but that’s when everything exploded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 43</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 56</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His head hurt. He was more aware now. He was sitting in his cabin in the Argo II. He could tell because of the insulated walls. He remembered having nightmares one night, and waking up to see his cabin scorched with lightning and soot. He had confided in Leo that he was afraid something like that might happen on the ship and he’d sink the whole thing. And like Leo tended to do, he came up with a solution. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper was leaning over him. “He’s awake,” she said to someone. “Jason, are you okay? Do you know who I am?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason squinted, confused by her phrasing, “Pipes, why would I know who you are?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper sighed as Annabeth came into view. “He’s okay.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” He asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Someone threw a chunk of cement at you.” Said Piper, at the same time Annabeth said “Leo blew up New Rome.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Blew up New Rome?” Jason asked, shocked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth shrugged. “He says he wasn’t in control of his body but… I don’t know. Octavian said he saw him do it. And so did Percy and I.” She shook her head. “You know Leo best, and you seem to know Octavian pretty well, too. What do you think happened? Would Octavian make Leo do this somehow, or…?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Octavian can go to extremes sometimes, but he values Camp Jupiter too much to do something like this.” Said Jason easily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you think Leo did it? That maybe he’s lying?” Annabeth asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No!” Said Jason quickly. “Leo wouldn’t do something like that. He knows how important this mission was. Besides, he’d never fire on civilians like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth raised an eyebrow. “So what </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>you think happened? Was it Leo or Octavian? They were the only two in the ship that could’ve done it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason honestly couldn’t see either of them wanting to hurt the camp. But someone must have been behind it, and they were the only two in the ship. But he trusted both his friends, would he have to choose one to back up? The idea made his head hurt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It must have shown on his face. Piper pushed his shoulder until he was laying down. “Questions later. Just get some sleep now, okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason nodded. His head felt too heavy and thinking hurt. It didn’t take long for everything to melt away…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 56</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 60</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper gave him a small wave, gesturing for him to come inside, if he wanted. Hazel glanced inside, she didn’t looked like she wanted to go in either.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And it’s not that Leo didn’t want to see how his best friend was, but the idea of being in a room with Jason incapacitated by something Leo caused made him feel suddenly claustrophobic. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo waved her off, he’d visit Jason later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 60</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 90</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as the three of them were out of earshot, Leo said; “Man, that guy is attractive.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Echo buried her face in her hands. Hazel raise an eyebrow at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You want to tell me I’m wrong? You’re going to look me in the face and tell me I’m wrong?” Leo said, defending himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I mean, yeah,” said Hazel, “but that’s not the point. …</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 90</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 104</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then Leo noticed Jason sitting up, and his face brightened. “You’re awake!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason squinted at him. “Unfortunately,” he said, “I think I may still be dreaming. What happened to you? I wasn’t out that long.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aww, you dream about me?” Leo teased. Jason opened his mouth to say something, but for some reason, decided against it. “I’ll be in the engine room, but I’ll come back up later, we’ll catch up then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 104</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 106</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No kidding.” Said Piper dryly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hazel said something about Narissies and angry nymphs?” Jason prompted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo sat down on the bed next to Jason and explained the whole story from the beginning. By the time he was done, Piper was astounded he and Hazel had managed to get back to the ship in one piece.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t flirt with Narisses.” Said Piper. “Tell me you didn’t flirt with Narisses.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo doesn't officially “come out” to people, he mostly lets them figure it out for themselves. Piper, in her fake memories, figured it out by asking him about it one day after he mentioned something about Jason’s biceps being the size of his head. Piper remembered being confused about it, because Leo flirted with every girl he saw, but never with boys. Leo had told her that he liked both fairly equally, but boys tended to not respond well to flirting, and he thought it was just too hard, and not worth the trouble. Though Piper wasn’t sure if Jason knew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In fact, I did not.” Said Leo. “Are you proud of me, beauty queen? You can applaud if you want.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nonetheless, Piper gave him a few pathetic claps. Outside squinting a bit, Jason didn’t seem phased at all by this news.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lemme tell you, I got super close, dude.” Said Leo. “Do you think Hazel’s homophobic?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why would Hazel be homophobic?” Jason asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Percy told me she died in the nineteen fourties and that’s like, a super long time ago.” Leo explained. “Was New Orlenes homophobic in the nineteen fourties?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Probably,” said Piper, “but did you just say she died?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, she died and came back to life or something. But about the homophobic thing, that’s a bold assumption.” Said Leo. “But I’ll give it to you. She seems nice. How old is she? Twelve? Thirteen?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fourteen.” Said Jason, “I think. She was in the Cohort I used to be in, the fifth. Frank was too, I think. I don’t recognize him as much. He might be new.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh man, </span>
  <em>
    <span>fourteen,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Piper lamented. “That’s so baby! Can you guys remember being fourteen?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo sighed dramatically. “I sure wish I didn’t.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason looked contemplative. “Yeah, I was about fourteen when I was voted in as Centron, I think. No, thirteen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That young?” Leo leaned forward where he sat. “That’s a lot of pressure for a kid.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper couldn’t help but agree. He tries to picture Jason at thirteen, leading a group of Roman soldiers. The image came scarily easy to her mind. But Jason just shrugged. “People have expected stuff like that from me since I was like, two years old. I’m kinda used to it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s… kinda messed up, dude.” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Piper agreed. “The whole Probatio slash Roman child soldier thing still freaks me out. I know it’s all you’ve ever known and you didn’t mind it or whatever, but still.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo nodded in agreement. “I turned out fine.” Said Jason. “How old do you think Frank is?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The first time I saw him, I was pretty sure he was older than us,” said Leo, “but then I saw his </span>
  <em>
    <span>face. </span>
  </em>
  <span>That guy has some </span>
  <em>
    <span>seriously </span>
  </em>
  <span>chubby cheeks. Have you seen his face? He’s got baby face syndrome. It’s adorable.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Leo!” Piper flicked him on the ear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey hey! It’s a compliment!” Leo defended himself. Jason just laughed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper breathed a contented sigh. Everything was so crazy right now, but her boys were still her boys. She was lucky to have such good friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Friend and boyfriend. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She reminded herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever. She liked having them both here with her. Sometimes when it was just her and Jason, things felt weirdly tense. Not like- so tense it was awkward and she hated it- more like- tense in a way that felt kinda uncomfortable but you can mostly ignore it. But Piper supposed that’s just what it’s like when you’re dating someone. She heard it supposed to feel different. She’s a daughter of Aphrodite, she would know when she’s in love. Enough questioning it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 106</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ignore that one part about Jason and Percy wanting to sit at the same seat at the head of the table on page 107. Jason doesn’t like to be in charge and can and will avoid it where he can. This part isn’t in character for him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start Page 120</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can't say Tempest will even listen to me, so your friend might win.” Said Jason easily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 120</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 138</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>… I’m not sure Reyna can stop him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason raised an eyebrow. “Octavian? Are you sure?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper nodded. “Yeah, he’s pretty recognizable.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure you heard him correctly?” Jason asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m sure.” Said Piper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy ran a hand through his hair. “What’s the big deal? It’s Octavian, this sounds like exactly the kind of thing he’d do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now, for the most part, Jason doesn’t really get mad at people. Secretly, Piper thought it was because he was afraid of what his anger might mean for other people. So Piper was completely thrown when Jason furiously spat; “Octavian isn’t some loose canon. He’s a very rational person, sometimes </span>
  <em>
    <span>too </span>
  </em>
  <span>rational. And he values New Rome above all else. He wouldn’t use his position of power to convince the council to go to war. He’d want to hear both sides. He wouldn’t blindly </span>
  <em>
    <span>act </span>
  </em>
  <span>like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy raised his hands in mock surrender, looking a bit stunned. Leo and the others were also taken aback by his sudden burst of anger. “Woah, hey.” Said Percy, “I didn’t mean… I didn’t know you guys were close.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason looked down at his plate and took a deep breath, as if trying to steady himself. “We’re…. not. Anymore.” Jason clarified. “He’s the Argur. I was Predator. We worked fairly closely. He’s not tough to understand.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, either way,” Hazel said, “Frank and I saw the Roman eagle again when we were scouting. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Someone </span>
  </em>
  <span>wants us imprisoned- or maybe even dead. Those eagles… it’s like they could smell us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 138</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start between pages 150 and 151</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can I ask you something?” Said Piper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shoot.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You said you and Octavian weren’t close </span>
  <em>
    <span>anymore, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but you were, once?” She asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason looked almost longingly across the deck. “Yeah. When I first came to camp, I told you, I was only six years old. Octavian was the only person who would really talk to me. The others… people tended to see me like I was on a pedestal. They thought I was just too good to be their friend. Octavian was the only one who didn’t see me that way. Him and Reyna, I suppose.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper nodded. Her heart ached for him. She cared about Jason a lot. Not just as her boyfriend, but as her friend, too. “All he ever wanted was to be Predator. And when I got elected, it kind of tore a rift between us. We were still friends, but it was strained. I don’t know what he feels about me anymore. We’ve spent months apart… I’ve changed. Has he?” Jason sighed. “I want to believe he’s a good person. But the others- Percy, Hazel, Frank, the way they talk about him… I didn’t want to tell them. I don’t want them thinking badly of me for sticking up for him like that. We need these people to trust us if this quest is going to work, right? Ugh. That makes me sound like being Octavian’s friend is a bad thing. You know what I’m trying to say, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper shrugged. “Mostly? You gotta stop worrying about what other people think of you. It’s going to make you go insane.” Jason stuck his tongue out at her. She laughed. “But about Octavian… I don’t know him as well as you do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No one does,” said Jason, “that’s the problem. No one believes me when I testify to his character. Percy didn’t. Octavian’s a pretty closed off person. He doesn’t open up very often.” Jason unclenched his jaw, trying to appear relaxed. “I’m sorry if I scared you or anyone else at dinner, getting angry or anything. It’s just… I don’t know. All I could think about when Percy said that was… ‘this guy had been at my camp for what, a month? And he thinks he knows it better than I do? He thinks he knows </span>
  <em>
    <span>Octavian</span>
  </em>
  <span> better than I do?’ I know that irrational, but…” he shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not irrational.” Piper reassured him. “Octavian’s your friend, you were standing up for him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason just shrugged again. “Can I ask you something else?” Said Piper. Jason nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End top of page 151</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 153</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was so afraid you’d go back to Camp Jupiter.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason looked almost uncomfortable. “Honestly, I don’t know what i'm doing after this quest. If you’re worried about me leaving you, I can promise, it’s never going to happen. You, Leo, Annabeth… I’d never just abandon you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 153</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 206</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth was in her cabin when Piper knocked on it. She opened it without waiting for an answer, that’s how she was able to know it was her without looking up from her desk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s up?” She said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper tugged at her hair as she stood awkwardly at the threshold. “Hey,” she began, “this is going to sound weird, but I was trying to cheer Hazel up, and she kind of shut me down. I don’t know, I don’t think she likes me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s not weird,” said Annabeth, looking up from her desk. “She hardly knows you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“True,” Piper agreed, “but that’s not the weird part. I was hoping you’d like to give it a try?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth raised an eyebrow. What had led Piper to believe she would be better at talking to Hazel then she was? They knew her basically the same. And everyone knew Piper was better with people than Annabeth was. But, then again, if Annabeth really thought about it, Piper wasn’t really good at talking to girls. Annabeth was able to recognize her “I’m not like other girls” mindset- she had the same one when she was younger. It took a while for Piper to warm up to Annabeth when they had first met because of it. Piper was good with people, but Annabeth could understand how she might not be the best choice for cheering Hazel up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth got up from her chair, “Where is she?” Piper breathed a sigh of relief. “On the deck. Thanks Annabeth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel was leaning over the side of the ship when Annabeth found her. Which was odd, since she had been told by Percy that she got seasick. When Annabeth approached, she seemed surprised. “Hey,” she greeted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” said Annabeth, meeting her on the railing. “Everything okay? I thought you don’t like the ocean.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You thought I’d be below deck?” Hazel surmised. Annabeth nodded. “Well, I’m going to be living on this boat for a while, might as well get used to it. What’re you doing up here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth shrugged. “The smell of the ocean calms me down when I’m anxious.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because of Percy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually, I hadn’t thought of that.” Annabeth mused, leaned her forearms on the railing. “But that’s probably it. That, and Camp Half-Blood is on the beach.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel nodded. “I get that. I’ve only been away from Camp Jupiter a couple of days and I’m already homesick. Well, and regular sick, too.” Annabeth chuckled. “What do you do to keep the homesickness away on quests?” Hazel asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth had to think about that for a moment. “I like to think of people that remind me of home.” She decided. “Thinking of home directly can bring you too much heartache, people are more direct. Like, once, Percy and I visited the Gateway Arch.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel’s face lit up. “Wow, really?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Annabeth confirmed. “Percy ended up blowing it up, but it was cool while it lasted.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel laughed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>There’s that smile, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Annabeth thought. “Percy has a way of… adding something else to our quests. Once, be befriended an apocalypse causing cow at the Hoover dam and got all the gods to agree to keep her alive, and named her Betsy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A cow?” Hazel asked, shocked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A </span>
  <em>
    <span>mermaid </span>
  </em>
  <span>cow,” Annabeth corrected herself. Seeing Hazel laugh again, Annabeth kept talking. “When he first came to camp, Clarrise- she used to be a bit of a brute back in the day- she would haze the new campers by dunking their heads in the community toilets.” Hazel made a face. “Yeah.” Annabeth agreed, “When she tried to do it on Percy, he commanded the water in the toilets and scared her off. We </span>
  <em>
    <span>somehow </span>
  </em>
  <span>couldn’t figure out his father was Poseidon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel giggled into her palm, and for a moment, Annabeth was reminded of a young Nico. Now, Annabeth hasn’t known Nico very long before he was claimed, but she had a small recollection of a warm smile, and childlike energy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” She said, catching her staring.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, nothing.” Said Annabeth. “Just, for a second there, you reminded me of Nico.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel crinkled her eyebrows. “You knew him too?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth nodded. “Not as well as Percy. But he’s our friend.” Hazel nodded and went back to staring forlornly at the ocean. Annabeth sighed. “You can ignore the others. I promise you, we’re going to save him. We owe him that much.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel tucked a stray hair behind her ear and looked back up at Annabeth like she wasn’t quite sure. “I know Jason can seem… cold sometimes, but there’s a reason for that. Jason has been taught to be a leader, and a leader needs to be able to be able to make decisions based on the collective, not the individual.” When Hazel still looked confused, Annabeth reiterated; “He has to be able to make decisions based on what will best help achieve the end goal and help the group as a whole, he can’t afford to prioritize personal feelings or any one individual person’s safety over the group’s.” Hazel nodded in understanding. “Leo on the other hand, just isn’t the best with people. He’s better at understanding machines. Not to say he lacks empathy, but he struggles with it. These aren’t excuses or anything, but I don’t want you to think either of them mean any harm. They’re good people. I think Piper brings out the best in them, those things considered. And they bring the best out in each other.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a moment, Annabeth feared she had made Hazel feel worse. Her mouth was in a tight line and her eyes squeezed shut. “What’s wrong?” She asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I’ve been staring at the ocean for too long,” said Hazel, “I think I’m going to be sick.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” said Annabeth, guiding her away from the side. “Maybe we should get you below deck.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel nodded. Annabeth led her down the stairs and into the first room she could think of; her own cabin. Hazel sat down on her bed and Annabeth sat down next to her, rubbing calming circles on her back until her face returned to its normal warm brown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Better?” She asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Better.” Hazel confirmed. “I uh, I get what you were trying to say earlier. I just… Nico’s the only family I have left. I hate the idea of anything happening to him...”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth could see why Percy cared about Hazel so much. Hazel had such a soft, caring nature about her. Even knowing her for a day and a half, Annabeth would probably jump in front of a charging gorgon for her. Though, knowing children of Hades (or Pluto, whatever), she probably wouldn’t need the protection. “I understand that. I have two half-brothers back home. I didn’t know them all too well growing up- my family situation is complicated- but they’re good kids. I don’t know what I’d do if they were in trouble like Nico is.” Annabeth patted reassuringly on her back. “But that’s why you have your teammates. We have your back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel smiled warmly at her. “I believe you. Percy was right about you. You really are </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> amazing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth fought back a blush. How often did Percy talk about her? </span>
  <em>
    <span>That dork,</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought fondly. “I-“ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, she heard commotion on the deck above them and her door swung open.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End top of page 206</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start break on page 216</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth had designed a chore chart before the Argo took off. Seven adhd teenagers taking care of themselves- even with a caretaker and three of them being Roman- was a fast track for disaster. She had tried her best to organize them as best she could, even when two names were missing when she created the chart. Which was how Hazel ended up taking the place of “Demigod #6” on the chore chart and washing the dishes with Piper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Since the plates were the magically enchanted ones from Camp Half-Blood, “cooking” wasn’t a chore (thank the gods), but the plates weren’t self cleaning. As Piper and Hazel scrubbed them in the sinks in the kitchen space Leo insisted on creating despite not needing he actual cooking function, Hazel decided to create polite conversation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know what you did.” She said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper stopped scrubbing the plate for a moment, confused. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, that sounded way more ominous than I intended it to be.” Hazel said sheepishly. “I meant, I know you talked to Jason and Leo about my brother to get them to apologize. I appreciate it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper went back to scrubbing. “Oh, that. Yeah, no biggie. Those are my boys. I gotta keep them in line.” She joked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Confused, Hazel placed a clean dish to the side. “You’re dating both of them? I thought you were only dating Jason.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Said Piper. Her ears turned red, like she was caught in a lie. Which was ridiculous. She wasn’t lying, she </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> only dating Jason. Then she realized Hazel must have been confused about her wording. “Oh, yeah, I am. I just meant they’re both my best friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That seemed to confuse Hazel more. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am </span>
  </em>
  <span>dating Jason.” Piper clarified. “I just meant to say that I care about </span>
  <em>
    <span>both </span>
  </em>
  <span>Leo and Jason as friends. And also I am romantically interested in Jason. Those two can coexist, it’s not weird.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel picked up another dirty plate to scrub, looking at Piper almost concerned. “I… didn’t say it was...?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right.” Said Piper. She didn’t know why it was suddenly so hard to articulate how she felt about Jason. It was simple, wasn’t it? Jason and Leo were her closest friends, she’d do anything for them. The only difference how she felt about them was that she also had romantic feelings for Jason. Jason was her friend who she was dating. Wait, no- he was her best friend first, so she has friendly feelings for him, wait, no she didn’t. Wait, technically, she thought she was dating Jason when they met, so their relationship started romantic. Now she was confusing herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She liked Jason. Romanticly. No more questions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, uh,” Hazel began, “how’d you guys meet again? You were on a school bus?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper nodded. The story made her weirdly uncomfortable. Probably because of the whole fake memory thing. That would make anyone uncomfortable. Once she finished explaining it, Hazel looked equally confused and amused. “Man, that must’ve been tough to find out it wasn't real.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Piper agreed. “It was. But what about you? You’ve got some past memories. Admittedly, yours were real.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you’re talking about before I died.” Hazel figured. “Those memories feel like so long ago, yet, they feel like just yesterday.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel talked about her mother and her old school and mean teachers. And despite never actually going through anything remotely like what Hazel went through, she found herself understanding her. Hazel had such a calming way of talking about things, it made Piper feel calm too. It was like, the polar opposite of hanging out with her best friends, Leo and Jason. With them, it was always chaos and high energy. Not that that was a bad thing, she loved hanging out with those two numbskulls, but talking with Hazel made it almost seem like they were back at Camp, washing dishes, and not in a war machine trying not to die.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper reminded herself to hang out with her more often, especially when she was feeling stressed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pretty soon, Jason and Leo were the only two left above deck. They talked a lot about nothing, trying to pass time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Man, I’m tired.” Said Jason. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then go to bed.” Leo suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah, dude. It’s your turn to go to bed on time. You stayed up all last night.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>last night. I got some shut eye.” Leo reminded him. “Besides, </span>
  <em>
    <span>you’re </span>
  </em>
  <span>tired.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So are you.” Jason countered. “Besides, Roman Probatio are trained to be able to stay awake for days on end if need be.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo sighed. “Man, the more I learn about your life at Camp Jupiter, the weirder it gets, I swear.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>During dinner, the seven demigods had payed a game of twenty questions to get to know one another better, and Jason had shared that he learned all his mannerism from wolves (because he lived with them from ages two to six), and had to unlearn them when he got to Camp because people thought he was weird. (Leo had also learned that Percy drooled in his sleep, Frank was only fifteen, Piper didn't actually know how to apply most make up, and Annabeth often procrastinated going to sleep at night because that’s when she was the most productive for whatever reason, and Hazel wanted to learn origami one day). </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Jason said, “I guess we’ve had really different lives. I mean, I don’t understand half of what anyone here talks about.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo laughed to himself. “One of these days, you and I are going to have to sit down and talk about modern stuff.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That would probably be super useful.” Jason admitted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo turned away from the sky ahead of them and dropped Jason a playful wink. “It’s a date.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason flushed and scrunched up his nose, like he wasn’t sure if he liked that wording. “Dude, chill.” Said Leo. “I’m messing with you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right.” Said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo eventually let Jason take charge and headed down to bed. But he never found out what had caused things to become awkward for just a moment there. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he drifted off into sleep, he heard Jason ringing the dinner bell to alert someone to take the next watch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 216</span>
</p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 226</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason woke himself up at exactly six o’clock in the morning, something he was able to do because of his Probatio training, for two reasons.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One, today was his day to do the laundry, and he wanted to get it down early, before their quest in Charleston.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Two, he wanted to get some training in before the quest. It’s never a bad idea to get in a quick workout before dealing with civil war ghosts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Jason had loaded all the wet laundry into he dryer, he decided not to wait for it, just go get a quick work out in and unload and fold it when he got back from his quest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He made his way down to the designated work out room and found Frank already in there. It seems the son of Mars hadn’t noticed he was here yet, attempting to pary all wrong with a sword much too thin for him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have you ever used a sword before?” Jason asked, standing at the threshold. Frank flinched and dropped the Gladias, and it clattered on the padded floor. “Uh,” he began, “yes. I’m just… I’m more of an archer.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason nodded, he had noticed. “Nothing wrong with broadening your weapon skills.” Jason walked over to Frank, picking the discarded Gladias off the floor. “But if you want to get better with swords, you’re using the wrong kind. This is too small for you, you won’t be balanced. The key to swordplay is balance.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He walked over to the far wall where most of the ship’s weapons hung. He took off his own Gladias and placed the other one on the wall. Then picked out a broadsword off the wall that he eyeballed for Frank. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here,” he said, handing the weapon over. “Try this.” Frank took the broadsword easily, whereas Jason had trouble holding it up. “This does feel better,” he admitted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good.” Said Jason. He was just about to walk over to the other side of the training room, when Frank had said; “How’s this?” He did a few basic sword motions, but he seemed out of practice- jerky and stiff. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason knew if he wanted to get in some practice before the quest, he should just leave it alone. But Frank was clearly asking for help… and it was almost impossible to learn when you were practicing the wrong thing…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which hand is your dominant?” Jason asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My right.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then you’re going to want to hold the hilt more like this.” Jason instructed. “And you’ll want to widen your stance. Archery is more defensive, so that stance would be better for that, but swordplay is more offensive. If you don’t have a balanced stance, you’ll be easy to tip over.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because swordplay is all about balance?” Frank asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!” Said Jason, happily surprised he had absorbed that. “Remember to put more of your weight on your back foot. Now try swinging it again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frank did as instructed, and the movements looked cleaner already.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, not bad.” Said Jason. “This time, try to use your upper body strength, not just your arms. Try it one more time…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frank’s a quick learner. Soon, he was able to spar with Jason. Only small movements and a bit slower than he was used to, but still sparring. Jason had deducted that Frank’s teachers at Camp Jupiter hadn’t payed enough attention to Frank when they had trained him. If someone had just put a bit more effort into it, Frank would have made an excellent swordsman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason disarmed Frank for the third time in a row. Frank bent down to pick up the broadsword. “That was much better!” He said. “Honestly, why haven’t you been doing this the whole time? You’ve almost got it down.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frank flushed at the praise. “I’m not all that good- at least, not as good as you or Percy. But, thanks.”  He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “And… I dunno. I’ve just always preferred archery. It came easy to me, I like it. And like, swords always felt too lethal for me- too aggressive. I’m already a big dude. I’d hate to be a big dude with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>sword. </span>
  </em>
  <span>I don’t want anyone to be intimidated by me or anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason nodded. “I get that. I hate that, too. People have always been intimidated by me. It kinda comes with the whole “son of Jupiter” thing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I get that.” Said Frank. “I guess being the son of Mars must not be that bad in comparison, huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason waved him off. “Nah, it’s relative. Besides, being the son of a war god? I totally get it. I’ve met the guy once, and it might seem weird to say, but if I didn’t know he was your dad, I never would have guessed. You’re not super similar.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You mean I’m not a brute?” Frank supplied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, yeah.” Jason agreed. “But even visually you look nothing alike. But who knows, I’ve never seen you in battle yet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frank shrugged. “Go again?” Jason raised his Gladias and lowered his stance, waiting for Frank to attack first. He barreled forward, more balanced this time. But Jason sidestepped, making Frank stumble forward, then hit him in the back with the butt of his sword, and he fell forward. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Classic.” Said Jason, holding his hand out to help Frank up. He took it gratefully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, Zhang, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with a sword before.” Came a voice from the hallway. Both demigods turned to look, and saw Leo. “Maybe you should stick to bows and arrows, dude.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason didn’t bother to look to Frank for his reaction, “You dirty hypocrite.” Said Jason, teasing. “At least he’s better than you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo stuck his tongue out at him. “Are we going out on this quest or not? I’m up, I’ve had breakfast, I’m ready to go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Breakfast, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jason remembered. “Dang it, I knew I was forgetting something.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three of them walked upstairs (Frank paused for a moment, as if he wasn’t sure if he should bring the broadsword with him or not. He decided to switch it for his archery set instead) and Jason grabbed a magic plate and willed a granola bar into existence, and took it for the road. They caught Coach Hedge on the way out, and promised they’d be back by sunset.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 226</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start between Bottom of page 234 and top of page 235</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-I mean, girls. You do me proud! Especially you, Piper.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper snapped to attention. “Me?” She said. Annabeth understood the look on her face. She would do anything to make her own Mother proud of her- specifically now. It’s not often you got to impress a god.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you, hon.” The goddess confirmed. “I’m just as upset with Hera as the rest of the olympians, but you have to admit, she does some good matchmaking. I don’t know what made her decide to pair you and the Jupiter boy up, but am I glad she did! You’re just too perfect!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead of looking pleased with the compliment, Piper crinkled her eyes in worry. Annabeth had gotten to know Piper pretty well in the past couple of months, and she was good at reading people. She could guess that Piper was wondering if she had consciously decided to date Jason… or if someone else had orchestrated their relationship entirely. That must be a tough realization- Annabeth had always thought that they had gotten together rather quickly, but still.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End top of page 235</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 254</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The walled around Charleston for almost half an hour before they finally found the museum. And there was a huge line. Because of course there was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did anyone bring any money?” Jason asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Man, this happened last time, too.” Said Frank. “I’ve only got Canadian money.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo sighed and reached onto his tool belt and pulled out a fifty dollar bill. “This better be enough.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If not, we’re gonna have to like, break in or something.” Frank added.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’ll probably be fine,” Jason assured them. “Thanks, Leo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They managed to buy three tickets and get into the museum. Leo had never really been one for museums, a bunch of dusty old relics never did it for him. But Jason seemed ecstatic. “Man, I haven’t been here in forever.” He said. “I wonder where they’d hide a map in here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought you knew where to look!” Leo hissed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, I don’t have the whole museum layout memorized, Leo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frank suddenly stiffened and pointed to the corner of the room. “What is </span>
  <em>
    <span>that?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo looked to where Frank pointed, and a man in a security guard uniform dozed in a chair behind a display case. “What a watchful eye you have there, Zhang.” Leo teased. “That is called; ‘sleeping on the job’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frank flushed. “No, it disappeared. I saw a guy with an old timey grey uniform.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s probably one of the ghosts. Let’s try not to provoke them.” Said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At least there’s like, no one here.” Said Frank, probably trying to lighten the mood. “There were only three old people ahead of us in line. If we </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>have to ransack this place, we might not go to jail.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds fantastic.” Said Leo. He gestured to the several arches leading into different parts of the museum. “Pick a hallway, any hallway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason pointed in a random direction and they all headed that way. Jason and Frank carefully inspected each item in display for a map. Leo tried his best, but those two were lucky they didn’t have adhd. Leo found it nearly impossible to stare at each boring item for more than thirty seconds. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just as Leo was moving on from the last artifact he checked (an old, folded up American flag), Frank walked by it, and began inspecting it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” said Leo. “I just checked that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, I saw.” Said Frank. “But you didn’t unfold it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It has a plague that says ‘don't touch’!” Leo claimed. “I’m not a masochist.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What does that have to do with-?“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Knock it out, you guys.” Jason chimed in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It wasn’t me, officer!” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were </span>
  <em>
    <span>instigating!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Jason said, playing along. “That’s a four hundred dollar fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo clapped his hands together, overdramatizing desperation. “Officer Grace, please! I have six kids!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then the two of them burst out laughing. Leo likes to think he’s a good influence on Jason. Camp Jupiter was way too stuffy a place to live your whole life, Jason (when they had first met) had been entirely too stuck up. Over their time at Camp Half-Blood, Leo likes to think he’s gotten his friend to loosen up a bit. He needed it. Frank watched the two of them, confused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighed in acceptance and moved on. He stumbled upon an old timey vault door. “Wonder what this leads to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It says ‘for employees only’.” Jason read.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So we should check it out?” Leo surmised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Definitely.” Jason agreed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo walked forwards and twisted the vault door hard. It didn’t budge. He tried again; nothing. “Maybe one of you two should try it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sharp thinking.” Jason commented. He grabbed the vault door and opened it like it was made of clay. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sure, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’d be able to do that too, if my biceps were the size of my best friend's head.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inside was a fake little room with diagrams on the walls. And about a hundred ghosts wearing grey uniforms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Frank!” Jason shouted. “You’re up!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frank looked startled, but walked up to them anyway. “Uh,” he began, “we come in peace.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One of the ghosts shot a ghostly rifle at him, the bullet narrowly missing the side of his head. “Wait! Don’t shoot! I’m a child of Mars!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They didn’t listen to him. The horde of ghost began shooting and the three demigods bolted down the hall, hiding behind a trophy case- not before something hit Leo in the side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They ducked behind the trophy case when Leo screamed; “I’m hit, I’m hit!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason panicked, grabbing Leo, a hand on either side of his torso, checking him for injury. When he saw nothing, he asked; “Where?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh,” said Leo, “that’s weird. I saw it hit me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ghost bullets must go straight through solid people.” Frank guessed. Leo then realized Jason was very much invading his personal space, and swatted his hands away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, here’s the plan.” Jason began. “Frank and I will distract them. Leo, you get into that room and search it from top to bottom. If you find anything you might think is the map, grab it and run.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo and Frank nodded. “Alright,” said Jason, “let’s do this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frank readied his bow while Jason charged into the fray, swinging his sword left and right. Between the two of them, they quickly cut a path for Leo to run to the vault.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he got inside, he turned everything in the room over. Not a single map in sight. Not even three minutes into the endeavor, Jason popped his head into the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” he said, out of breath. “Piper just Iris messaged me, the girls found the map. Also, the Romans are here and they’re attacking. They need us back at the ship.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo dropped the diagram he was holding. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Start with that!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three demigods did their best to wave through the crowd, Jason leading their way, cutting arcs with his Gladias. Leo probably shouldn’t find that hot, but he did, so.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They finally managed to run into the foyer, past several elderly people, the still snoozing security guard, and out the doors. When the three of them sprinted out the front door, the ghosts stopped following them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo stood panting for a moment, trying to catch his breath. “Ha!” He said, when he finally had the breath to do so. “Not so scary now!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t tease them, Leo.” Said Jason, who had already caught his breath because of course he did. “Just because the ghosts can’t leave the museum doesn’t mean we’re home free.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No kidding,” Frank agreed. “Look.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pointed skyward, and Leo could see the Roman eagles circling around where the Argo II was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How are we going to get there in time?” Leo asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can fly.” Jason reminded him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can turn into animals that can fly.” Frank added.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right.” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” said Jason decisively. “I’m either bridal carrying you there, or you’re catching a ride on Frank airlines. Quick.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo had a sudden and vivid mental picture of Jason carrying him like he was superman and decided </span>
  <em>
    <span>absolutely not,</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I’d actually prefer eagle talons.” Leo decided. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, let’s go.” Said Jason. A string gust of wind blew and Jason was up in the air. Leo turned to where Frank had been, and saw a giant eagle instead. A giant eagle that grabbed Leo by the shoulders and took off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He screamed as Frank soared straight up. He cursed loudly, trying to grab hold of his talons. Leo could see Roman eagles flying toward them. Jason, for his part, did his best to avoid them. But then a giant golden chariot pulled by twin Pegasi came out of nowhere and hit Frank in the wings and that giant idiot </span>
  <em>
    <span>dropped him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There might’ve been some things in between that, but Leo’s eyes were too shut tight to notice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo screamed as he fell and heard Jason yell; “I’ve got you!” And then he slammed into something solid and warm- probably Jason. He latched himself into him on instinct. His arms around his neck and legs around his torso. He felt strong arms on his hips, holding him still. He felt the winds around them pick up, as if they were trying to adjust to this new weight, caving them in and keep them stationary, but then failed and they fell from the sky.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hit about twenty different tree branches on his descent and landed on hard, forest floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Actually, he landed on Jason. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo managed to pull himself up, and help Jason sit up, who was clutching the side of his head. “Man,” said Leo, “how many head injuries can you sustain in one day?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My last head injury was two days ago.” Jason reminded him. And Leo didn’t mean to, but he laughed. “Wait,” he remembered, “where’s Frank?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason stood up quickly, looking left and right. Leo supposed they were lucky to land in the tiny pocket of wildlife that they had, they could have landed four feet to the left into straight concrete. The chariot had fallen a bit to their right, and the Romans inside were unconscious. A few yards ahead, a giant bear grabbed a Roman eagle from the sky and dragged it down. Probably Frank. The other eagles seemed to notice their location, and were in a pattern where they were purposefully cutting them off from the Argo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Leo looked back at Jason, he was holding his sword. They were thinking the same thing; attack. Jason looked nervous, almost scared. Leo assumed because he’d be attacking the people he’d grown up with. But Jason had always been good at putting his emotions away when he needed to. Scarily good. They charged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They got split up pretty soon. Leo blasted fire up at the Roman eagles, hoping to cause them to fall out of the sky. A lot of eagles were dropping Roman military dudes to fight on foot. Not exactly Leo’s strong suite. Frank had turned into and elephant. He saw Annabeth run by, right up to Jason, who had been non lethality fighting with one of his fellow soldiers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two of them exchanged a few quick words and Jason nodded. Annabeth ran past the lines of Romans and Jason held up a fist and yelled; “Argo! Retreat!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Saying that Jason was uncomfortable fighting Roman legionaries was an understatement. But Jason knew sometimes his personal feelings didn’t matter. He swung his sword and summoned a gust of wind to blow their tanks back, cutting a path for him and the other Argonauts. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had almost made the to the ship. The path was perfectly clear. Leo and Frank made it to port. Then Jason saw the one person he didn’t want to see.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian was the picture of what a legionnaire should be in battle. His toga was on straight. His stance was perfect. His longsword was perfectly balanced. His face was a perfect mask of neutrality. He was a little wet for some reason, like he had fallen in the water, but Jason elected to ignore that. Anyone else might look at this skinny white boy and underestimate him, but Jason knew better. Octavian was a master swordsman. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So it’s true, then.” Octavian said. Jason knew he should be sprinting to get to the boat. It was only a yard or so away. He could make it. But he froze. He hadn’t seen Octavian since everything happened, he probably thought Jason had attacked Camp Jupiter willingly. And despite everything that had happened, Jason still valued his opinion, their friendship. He still wanted Octavian to like him. “You’re with the Greeks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No!” Said Jason. “Well, I mean, yeah. But they’re not bad! They're on our side! I know you must think badly of them, but Leo was possessed by an eidolon spirit when he fired on the camp. No one meant to-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stop.” Octavian cut in. “Apollo warned me you’d lie.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Apollo?” Jason asked, “Octavian, what are you talking about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Things have changed since you left, Jason.” Octavian raised his longsword. “Apollo has foreseen a battle between the Greeks and the Romans. He has been telling me that you’d betray us. I didn’t want to believe it, but now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian spread his arms, taking in the scene. “I wanted to believe you were my friend. But you never were, were you? I had told you, all I ever wanted was to become Predator. You </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And yet you </span>
  <em>
    <span>still </span>
  </em>
  <span>took it away from me. You can’t say ‘no’ to people. Not even when it’s something you don’t want, not even when your friends get hurt because if it.” Jason cringed. He was right.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You never cared about me.” Octavian decided. “Neither did my father, neither did Karlo. But my patron believes in me. Apollo says he will lead the Romans to victory. That I am needed to lead them there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Octavian, the Greeks aren’t our enemies!” Jason said, desperation creeping into his voice. How did things get so bad? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They fired on our camp!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Leo was possessed!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you make excuses for them!” Octavian hissed, ignoring him. “Apollo told me you would.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s lying!” Jason pleaded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Octavian sneered. “The god Apollo is lying? You would have me believe him over you? You would have me ignore my prophetic dreams? Dreams that are so vivid and direct I wake screaming nearly every night? Dreams that leave me afraid of sleeping?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason flinched. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Apollo has shown me the future where we sit and do nothing. The Greeks will raze our camp unless we attack them first.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re peaceful!” Said Jason. His voice was breaking, he knew he didn’t sound convincing. “I’ve lived with them for months, they're my friends-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what was I?” Screamed Octavian. “You’ve only known them for what- a handful of months? You’ve known me for years. You’ve lived in New Rome for your whole life. And you’d betray us? What happened to you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian looked almost worried. Though he had somehow convinced himself Jason had turned sides, why would anyone be happy their best friend had betrayed them? “I’m still me,” Jason insisted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” said Octavian. “Somethings different. I’ve known you since I was seven years old, you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>different. </span>
  </em>
  <span>I don’t know what Hera or those Greeks have done to you, but you’ve changed. You’re not my friend anymore.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason felt as though ice ran through his veins. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know we can’t follow out to sea,” Octavian continued. “and when you get there, we’ll turn our attention to your Camp. If we don’t have one of your crew to persecute… someone will have to answer for your crimes. Turn yourself in. Let it be you, and not the whole Greek camp.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason froze for a moment. Octavian kept talking. “No one wants a war. No one needs the bloodshed. But the legion needs someone to pay for the assault on the camp. Let it be you. No more fighting. Let it end here. Turn yourself in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian was playing to Jason’s responsibility, his self sacrificing nature, to get him to turn himself in. He was right, the council would see the attack Leo had provoked on New Rome to be a huge insult, the council would want someone to be held responsible. Someone from the crew. If Jason didn’t turn himself in, and the Romans couldn’t follow the Argo II anymore, if the crewmates were out of their reach… they would turn their attention to camp Half-Blood. It was logical. It was so, so Roman. Jason almost gave in, almost gave himself up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Jason couldn’t afford that. He had to save the world. His crew needed him- his friends needed him. Camp Half-Blood would hold. Reyna wouldn’t let this happen. Besides, surely, the council would see sense? Maybe not with Octavian believing what he believes. He’s a very convincing person. Had he always been this manipulative? Or has Jason just never noticed?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Had he chosen not to notice?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t,” said Jason. “I have to finish this quest.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian scowled. “Fine. I’ve chosen my side, and you’ve chosen yours.” Then he lunged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their blades met. They paired and spared and Jason almost had trouble keeping up with him. A wave came from the docks and washed an onslaught of legionnaires into the pier. Octavian became distracted for a moment, and Jason finally caught him off balance. Seeing his chance to flee, he took it. Jason bolted up the rigging and onto the ship. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stood and caught his breath. That had been a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Leo was firing the ballistas, Frank was using his bow and arrow. Piper was talking to Festus, who was spitting fire everywhere. The Romans had closed them in, surrounding the ship. How was Annabeth going to get back in? Suddenly, a hand clapped him on the back. Percy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You okay, dude?” He asked. Jason was aware of how he must look; shaken and startled. “Fine.” He said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good,” said Percy, “because I have a crazy stupid idea.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Said Jason, too drained to worry about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you make storms?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” said Jason, “it’ll leave me pretty drained, but I can do it. Are you sure that’s the best idea though?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I said the idea was stupid.” Percy reminded him. “What would happen if I helped you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason squinted, giving it some thought. “We’d raise hell.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Exactly.” Said Percy. “You in?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Romans must have fired something, because the ship rocked and Leo cursed loudly. “Lets do it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason closed his eyes and concentrated. He could always feel the storm within when he tried to. And right now, he had a whirlwind of inner turmoil waiting to come to the surface.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Winds picked up. He could hear the roar of thunder overhead. Rain fell on his fact first softly, then all at once. The skies whirled around him and Jason open his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw the wind and seas clash and brow. He heard Octavian bellow, yelling; “Kill them all!” The storm only grew louder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can’t hold much longer!” Shouted Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel pointed off the side of the ship, “Annabeth!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy knocked out of his concentration. Annabeth was sprinting past Roman defense lines. Percy sent waves crashing down in the peir, giving Annabeth room. She climbed onto the rigging, with help from Piper, and Leo took off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason took one last look down at the Romans. He saw Reyna run up to the others, to stand side by side with Octavian. They both looked darkly at the ship, and the Romans looked to them. He had made an enemy of New Rome today. Even if this conflict was resolved, things wouldn’t be the same. A true Roman soldier would never turn his back in his legion, no matter what his personal beliefs were. By choosing what Jason thought was right, he’d gone against the legion. He may be welcomed back if things are solved, but it will never be the same. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian rallied the troops in a retreat, a predators job, and they all listened. Jason could have guessed Octavian would take advantage of his current situation, but now he knew that it was only a matter of time before he finally got what he wanted. Reyna couldn’t keep the second Predator position open forever. But for the first time, Jason actually wished she would.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go, go, go!” Annabeth yelled, toppling into the deck. Percy summoned a wave to push them out to sea and Jason changed the direction of the winds. And he left the Romans behind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 254</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 276</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason sat down in his bed with a heavy thump. He was tired. </span>
  <em>
    <span>So </span>
  </em>
  <span>tired. And not just from creating the storm, he was emotionally drained, too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t Octavian’s friend anymore. He wasn’t a true Roman soldier. He wanted to pass out right there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Piper was still in his room and that felt rude. “Everything okay?” She asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And maybe it was because he was to tired, and Piper was the only one who knew he had been friends with Octavian, but he said, “No.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next few minutes he spent explaining what had happened, Piper sat quietly at the edge of his bed, taking it all in. “It’s just, he’s right. I have been a bad friend. I never even wanted to be Predator, that was Octavian’s dream. He wanted it more than anything. And I ruined that because I don’t know how to say ‘no’ to people when I think they need me. Now Octavian hates me, Reyna probably hates me, and nothing is ever going to be the same again. If I chose to go back, they wouldn’t treat me the same. I don’t think I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am </span>
  </em>
  <span>the same. I’ve always defined myself by what the Romans saw in me; son of Jupiter, Probatio, soldier, Centron, Predator, leader. If that’s not me anymore, who am I?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow.” Said Piper. “That’s a lot.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason sighed. “I know. Sorry, I didn’t mean to dumb all that in you, I-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No!” Piper corrected. “I’m your girlfriend, you should be able to talk to me about stuff like this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason nodded. “About what Octavian said,” Piper began, “you’re not a bad friend. You’re a lot of things, but that’s not one of them. You didn’t feel comfortable saying ‘no’. Maybe you should have, yeah. But that doesn’t make it a bad friend. You weren’t trying to hurt him. It was just an unfortunate circumstance. Besides, I don’t know Octavian all that well, but from here, it sounds like </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> might be the bad friend. I mean, he didn’t even hear you out!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you? If a god told you otherwise?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper scratched her chin. “If </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>told me otherwise, yeah. You’ve never done anything to make me think you’d lie.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve done stuff to Octavian to make him think that.” Jason said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yours and Octavian’s relationship sounds really complicated.” Piper decided, </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason laughed humorlessly, “You don’t even know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know,” Piper thought aloud, “the more I hear about Camp Jupiter, the more I think that it isn’t a place for kids. Don’t get me wrong- it sounds like a great place to train demigods, but I don’t think it was a great place for you to grow up. You got it all stuck in your head that just because you were a son of Jupiter, people expected you to be perfect all the time. But… you’re not </span>
  <em>
    <span>there</span>
  </em>
  <span> anymore. And you don’t have to be that guy here, not if you don’t want to. You get to explore who Jason Grace is- not just Jason Grace Son of Jupiter, Y’know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason leaded his head against the headboard of his bed. “I… hadn’t thought of that.” Piper patted his leg. “Well you do that, after you get some sleep, ‘Kay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Will do,” Jason promised. Piper stood up and left the room, closing the door behind her quietly. Jason rested his eyes. Maybe Piper was right. Who was Jason Grace, anyway?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 277</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 314</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another thing Piper had been worried about was how she felt toward Jason. Having romantic feeling for Jason- that made sense. But did that make sense because she actually liked him that way? Or because Hera and Aphrodite had pushed her in that direction?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just questioning that made her feel guilty. Piper had never been in a relationship before, was it supposed to be this confusing? Should she just know if she liked him or not? Because Piper definitely liked him. Piper liked hanging out with him, and talking about everything, and being emotionally close, but was that necessarily romantic? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was afraid to voice her opinions about this whole thing, because what if that made Jason upset? But that made her feel like a coward. Jason talked to her about stuff like this. He talked to her about Octavian and all of that, didn’t he?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper tried to force it from her mind. It made her anxious to even think about it. But one thing she couldn’t stop thinking about was; is it fair to Jason to keep this from him? If I’m not sure how I feel about him, should I keep pretending nothings wrong? Is that leading him on? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Should Piper break up with him?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Piper was deathly afraid of that thought. If she broke up with Jason, they wouldn’t have what they have now. And Piper </span>
  <em>
    <span>liked </span>
  </em>
  <span>what they had now. She couldn’t risk ruining it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 314</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(Ignore everything Piper thinks about the Aphrodite tea party)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start end of page 318</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“... and that’s not including the time Jason tried to shock people by rubbing his feet on carpets and touching them.” Leo was saying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After dinner, a small group of them had strayed upstairs in the deck to chat. Leo had started talking about the prank war he had initiated back at Camp Half-Blood between himself, Piper, and Jason. Trying to count the amount of pranks they had pulled on each other before Chiron had intervened and stopped them before they “destroyed the whole camp”. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That counts!” Jason defended himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure it does,” Leo teased. “You’re a regular ol’ Pikachu.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason scrunched his nose, not sure if that was an insult of not. Mostly because he didn’t know what the word was. It certainly was English. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aww,” said Percy. “Wait, now I’m picturing Jason as a pikachu. That’s adorable!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo and Piper laughed. “Did you play Pokémon as a kid, too?” Please say you did.” Leo said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you kidding?” Said Piper, “What poor child didn’t have ten Pokémon cartridges for their ds?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“People whose dad isn’t rich.” Said Percy. “I only had, like, two.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still not knowing what anyone was talking about, Jason’s mind drifted from the conversation. After a moment, he noticed Hazel wasn’t in the room, and gave a quick excuse before leaving to find her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He found her in the second place he looked, the training room. Although she wasn’t training, just sitting on the mat, back against the wall. She looked up, as if Jason’s presence startled her, though it shouldn’t have. He was trying to be quiet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There you are,” said Jason walking over to her, “I was wondering where you went.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She scrunched her nose a bit as Jason sat down next to her. “Ah well, you know, I don’t like staying up deck for so long.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You get seasick, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel smiled- the kind of smile that lights up her whole face, happy he remembered. “Yeah, exactly.” she said, “I know the others probably sent you down here after me, but I’m fine. I just didn’t know what anyone was talking about.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No one sent me down here, I just wanted to see if you were okay.” Jason said, “What part of the conversation did we lose you on?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel tugged on the collar of her shirt, “When Leo brought up the electronic game, uh, poke-ee-man?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason squinted, trying to remember, “Yeah, I don’t think that’s a real word.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right!?” said Hazel, “You don’t know what it is either, do you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not even a little.” Jason admitted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh thank the gods, it’s not just me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason laughed, “I don’t know, I’m not exactly a genius when it comes to pop culture.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Me either,” Hazel empathized, “I haven’t really had time to adjust to modern day since… coming back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He finds it troubling how often he forgets Hazel is from the forties. She had always seemed like such a normal, quiet, teenage girl, he oftentimes forgot she was a eighty year old daughter of Pluto. “Same here, I guess,” said Jason, “I’ve never really been outside of New Rome before… not that I can remember. Getting used to all of this is… it’s a lot.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel sighed, “Tell me about it. Sometimes I feel so old, you know? Like I’ll never fit in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason hadn’t really thought about the world outside New Rome until he was forced to live in it, and found so many different people from different walks of life and </span>
  <em>
    <span>none</span>
  </em>
  <span> of them were like him. None of them were used to the strict Roman life like he was. He knew nothing outside of it. Surrounded by people like Leo, Piper, Percy and the others, he’s starting to think he probably didn’t have a normal childhood, even by demigod standards.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I totally get it. I feel like I missed out on so much. It’s so weird, growing up a certain way and suddenly being thrown into a whole other life. I don’t know who I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am </span>
  </em>
  <span>here, you know? I grew up thinking of myself in a certain way because of my environment, and now that I’m not there…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know who you are?” Hazel finished for him. Their eyes locked, suddenly, in understanding. In all honesty, Jason hadn’t thought too much of Hazel. She was a Probatio, she looked at him and saw him the way every other probatio did; ‘the Son of Jupiter, too important to talk to the rest of us, too special to be my friend’. And that’s exactly how Hazel thought of him, Jason could just tell. Being surrounded by stares just like hers his whole life, Jason could recognize it in his sleep. But the gaze that locked with his was not that. Hazel looked at him like he was human, like they were the same.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, just like that.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her eyes glistened, like she might shed a tear (please Zeus no, Jason wasn’t good with crying children), but she smiled instead. “You know, Annabeth and I meet up for girls nights sometimes, and we talk about stuff just like this. We get pretty deep sometimes, actually.” Hazel said, “We’re having one tonight, actually. You should come.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“... To girls night?” Jason asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel nodded. “Yeah. We do meditation exercises and learn calming techniques, questing can get pretty stressful. And we talk about our feelings.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So,” said Jason, trying to clarify the request, “So you want me to join you, Annabeth, and Piper, for girls night? Tonight?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!” said Hazel, smiling wide. “Although, Piper probably won’t come. She’s invited, but she never shows up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason nodded seriously. He loved Piper, but she had some serious “I’m not like other girls” mindset. She usually refuses to partake in anything remotely “girly”.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds fun.” said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End top of page 319</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 353</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ship rocked haphazardly back and forth. Leo tried to stop himself from falling off his perch where he was fixing the engine. Again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good gods, what is going on up there?” Leo complained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Constant Pegasi attacks. Saw a couple of Harpies, once.” Jason explained. “You dropped your wrench thingy, by the way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fixing the ship over and over again was boring work, but at least Jason was with him while he did it. He had a way of squeezing into Leo’s routine to help out where he could. Even if it was just carrying heavy stuff and fetching his tools. Leo figured that this was his way of trying to stick around, hang out, that sort of thing. Leo was grateful for it, he hadn’t had a lot of friends who’ve wanted to stick around before. Leo suspected Jason hadn’t, either.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It sucks that Hercules was a jerk,” Leo said, picking up their conversation from earlier. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo could see Jason shrug. “I guess so.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You guess so?” Leo responded. “Jase, people are either jerks or they aren’t.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason leaned against a nearby wall. “Well, Piper sure seemed to think he was awful.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo recognized that tone. “But you disagree?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t say he was amazing,” he explained, “but he wasn’t a complete jerkwad. People are more complicated than that.” Jason sighed. “I dont know. He’s had a tough life. And people keep treating him the same, so nothings changing. The scary part is that everything Hercules was saying about himself; how Hera pushed him around his whole life, how hard it is being a son of Jupiter- or Zeus. How that pressure can make a person… snap. It reminded me of… me. That’s how </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>feel.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo took a sharp inhale. “And Piper called him a jerk.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yikes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mmm hmm.” Jason agreed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have you talked to her about it?” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason didn’t say anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should talk to her if it’s bothering you, man.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ex Predator flushed. “It’s not bothering me, it’s… I dunno. It’s more unsettling, than anything. And the river god warned Piper off dating me because I was a son of Jupiter, that was weird.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Didn't the river God’s wife get snatched up by Hercules?” Leo asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, there you go.” Leo finished tightening the bio he was working on and hopped down. “He’s got a vendetta and was taking it out on you. I wouldn’t take it personally. Trust me, as far as romance goes, you’re set.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo walked past him to get to the next part of the engine that needed a tune up. “Come on, man. You’re nice, attractive, you care about other people more than you care about yourself, you’ve got that ‘you have to be level fifteen friend to unlock my tragic backstory’ vibes, girls love that. And, you’re just a nice person to be around. You’ll be alright.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo had already turned around to start on his next task, but he could have sworn Jason ears were red. “Thanks.” He said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper decided she hated Rome.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hadn’t even gotten there yet, but if Rome was anything like this, she could tell she was going to hate it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was cold out, and a herd of flesh eating birds flew overhead. They were, naturally, trying to eat her flesh. Frank was helping shoot them out of the sky where he could, but Piper wasn’t much help. What could a dagger and a pretty voice do against giant flesh eating birds, anyway?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After the coast was finally clear, Piper slumped against the mast. The day had barely started yet and she was ready to be done with it. “Stupid birds, stupid ocean.” She mumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Everything okay over there?” Frank asked. Piper didn’t know Frank well yet, but he was full of such sincerity, she found it hard to be mad at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How could you tell I was in a bad mood?” She asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just could.” Frank explained, trying to make conversation. “Just annoying birds or…?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just relationship drama.” Piper sighed. “The birds definitely aren’t helping.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frank’s eyes widened. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You’re </span>
  </em>
  <span>having relationship problems, too?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I know, daughter of Aphrodite. But- wait a minute- ‘too’?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He smiled meekly. “Not troubles per se, but… I dunno. I think Leo likes my girlfriend. And I’m afraid she might like him, too.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aw,” she patted him on the back. Piper could relate, she had been afraid of the idea of Reyna not that long ago. Now, all that felt so distant. Meeting her in person… she wasn’t someone Piper could hate. “Leo may be a giant flirt, but he’s not some home wrecker. He’d never do something like that on purpose.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, he said as much.” Frank admitted, “But… I dunno. It still worries me. I know it’s stupid to be anxious about, but no ones ever liked me like that before, I don’t think anyone will again. I’m not… I’m not the kind of person people get crushes on, I’m just not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper’s heart broke for him. He was just a kid, a really sweet kid, who had made him believe something like that? If she ever met them, she swore she’d make them regret it. “Of course you are! You’re sweet, kind, you care about others so much. There’s no reason people shouldn’t like you. It’s not stupid to be anxious about, sometimes people can make us feel ugly, because we don’t look like them. I’ve been there. But just because people say ugly things, doesn’t mean they’re true. Beauty is subjective- first of all- and second, they’re probably just projecting their insecurities onto you. But trust me, you’re exactly the kind of guy that people like.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, really?” Frank flushed. “That’s… really nice of you to say, thank you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course! Sometime I feel like I’m just full of good advice- for everyone except myself of course.” Piper said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I meant to ask about that.” Said Frank. “I- it only surprises me that you have relationship problems because, well, you seem so put together. I didn’t think you had problems with much of anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” Said Piper, flattered. Did she really look that way to others? “Well, I’m glad I </span>
  <em>
    <span>look</span>
  </em>
  <span> that way.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wanna talk about it? I may not give good advice, but I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am </span>
  </em>
  <span>a good listener.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper nods, she can tell Frank is a good egg. “Let’s just say, hypothetically, you have this friend you really care about. And also he’s attractive. And also you have a bunch of fake memories of the two of you dating, so you assume you’re attracted to him. What do you do if you aren’t so sure anymore?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Panic, probably.” Frank answered honestly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mood.” Piper agreed. “I just don’t want to lead him on, you know? I care about Jason- not just as a boyfriend, but as his friend, too. It isn’t fair to him. It isn’t fair that he’s dating a girl who isn’t sure if she likes him or not. He deserves more than that, after all he’s been through. If I’m not sure, should I be dating him at all? Is that fair? But what if I break up with him, and he hates me? Or things are weird? I don’t want things to change between us. I like how things are right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason chose her over Reyna and- she suspects- Octavian. How could she call herself a good person if she rejects him? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frank scratches the back of his head. “I’m not an expert,” he begins, “but it sounds like you’re staying with him more out of obligation than actual feelings and junk.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper opens her mouth to defend herself, but Frank cuts her off. “Hear me out. I’m not saying you don’t care about the guy- obviously you do. I’m just saying that maybe- however you feel- you shouldn’t let how Jason might react keep you from doing what’s best for you. Maybe you should break up, maybe not, but you can’t prioritize Jason’s feelings over yours. If your gonna do it, do it because it’s what’s good for you. If you decide not to, great. But don’t not do it because you’re afraid of how Jason will react. Does that make any sense?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper nodded. She still feels gross about the whole thing. Her mom is the goddess of love, why can’t she just know what’s going on in her own head?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Frank says, softer. “Don’t beat yourself up about this. Feelings are tough, it’s not your fault, you didn’t ask for any of this to happen. And I’m sure Jason won’t hate you. He’s a nice guy. You two will be friends no matter what.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper looked up at Frank, she wanted to squeeze him like he was a giant teddy bear. “Thanks. You lied before, you give great advice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frank beamed. “Glad I could help.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he did. Like it or not, Piper knew what she had to do.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 353</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 378</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason liked taking the night watch. Coach Hedge or Percy usually tried to stay up late, but neither of them were used to pulling all nighters. Jason had been trained to stay up for days on end if he needed to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Besides, he liked the solitude. Don’t get him wrong, he absolutely adored spending time with his friends. Hanging out with Leo, Piper, and Annabeth, getting to know Percy, Hazel, and Frank, that had been the highlight of the trip, easily. But he liked the quiet, he liked to reflect. Taking time to sort his head about Reyna, Octavian, the Romans, himself… even Piper... it kept him sane.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He still wasn’t sure what to think of everything. He was happy he was here, he knew in his heart he had made all the right choices. But in this boat, in comparison to everyone else, he just didn’t feel as important as he did back in New Rome, nor as knowledgeable. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Back home, he was the Son of Jupiter. Predator. Everyone looked up to him. He was the one who was supposed to have the answers. Not saying that he liked it, it was just what he was used to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On the Argo II, no one really expected Jason to know what to do all the time. He wasn’t captain, he wasn’t the leader here. He kept expecting people to look at him for answers, and it never happened- not unless he made himself known. It was such a change. It had been like this in Camp Half-Blood, but that had been a low crisis situation. They were on a quest now. Jason had thought he’d be thrown back in charge now that they were trying to save the world, but it hadn’t happened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason had decided, after thinking about it a lot, that he actually didn’t mind it. He hadn’t been able to sit back and think about it, but he realized that being in charge all the time… totally sucked. It was stressful, and it probably wasn’t very healthy. It made him think; if he had been born with another father, would he have ever been a leader in the first place? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason heard footsteps on the deck. He didn’t bother turning around, he could already tell who it was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cant sleep?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah,” said Annabeth. “too many monsters rocking the ship.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ever since being invited to ‘girls night’ with her and Hazel, they’d acted calmer around him. He figured they were friends now. Piper joked that the more he hung out with Annabeth, the more her bookish nature rubbed off on him. Jason couldn’t disagree. He figured himself a blank slate. He hadn’t really had time to develop a personality outside of what the legion wanted him to be, so everyone he hung out with rubbed off on him. He felt like he was a blank canvas, and everyone was adding their own splash of color. He didn’t really mind. He was going to figure out who he was, and they were helpings besides, personalities are just characteristics we’ve picked up from other people, anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hear that,” Jason agreed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You ready to see Rome for the first time?” She asked, leaning against the railing next to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“More than ready.” He claimed. “Ready for what happens after that? Not exactly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth laughed. “Couldn’t agree more. I feel like I can’t even prepare for it correctly, you know? I want to be ready for whatever’s out there waiting for us, but how can I do that when I don’t even know what’s going to happen?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s right, you’re going on a solo quest.” Jason remembered. “I wish we didn’t have to split up at all. How will any of us know if you're safe if you’re all alone?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth stared at him strangely for a moment. “What?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing, you just reminded me of Thalia for a second.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason froze. Like Thalia? He had just been voicing concern. He wanted to ask exactly what he had done that had been like Thalia. The more Jason heard about her, the more he felt how different they were. He taped his finger anxiously on the railing, hoping to not give away how happy that comment had made him. How else where he and his sister alike?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do you mean?” Jason asked, trying his best to feign neutrality.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Annabeth was smart, and she had gotten to know Jason pretty well over the last couple months. “When we were on the run, Thalia was always concerned about me running off. She always got anxious when we had to be seperated. Even when it was little things, like me going to the bathroom.” Annabeth elaborated. “Even after she came back from being a pine tree, it took her awhile to get used to the idea that I could take care of myself now. She’s always been a bit overprotective of the people she cares about.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason had always been like that, too. Jason fought a smile, maybe they weren’t so different after all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 378</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 472</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper and Jason were the last two on the ship, and Piper couldn’t ignore the promise she had made to herself; that thing she had been meaning to talk about.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper decided to make it as painless as she could. Jason deserved that much. She suggested a picnic on the grass in the park they were parked in (ha) and, after getting permission for Coach Hedge, found a nice spot under a tree to place a blanket down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She provided food from her cornucopia, a couple of McDonald takeout nuggets and a whole birthday cake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is it somebody’s birthday?” She wondered aloud.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason shrugged. “No idea. Do you know when the others' birthdays are?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Leo’s is on July seventh, and mine is June third… I don’t know when the others are.” Piper mused. “But if it’s not yours, and it’s not mine-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, we don’t know that.” Jason said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” Piper asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason tilted his head to the side, as if she should already know what he was talking about. “I don’t know when my birthday is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” Said Piper. But that made sense, Piper remembered celebrating Jason’s sixteenth birthday around New Years because he just counted the years by that, since he didn’t have a specific date. Oh gods, “This cake is for you, isn’t it.” She realized. Oh no, oh gods, she was planing on breaking up with Jason on his birthday- no, she couldn’t. That was too awful. And the first time he ever celebrated it? No. No that’s too cruel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason didn’t seem to care. “Ha, of course today’s my birthday. The first of July, the Kalends of July, if you will. The Roman’s would have found that auspicious- the first day of the month named for Julius Caesar. Juno's sacred day. Yippee.” He looked up at Piper, and he seemed to shift into concern. “Hey, is everything okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What was she even supposed to say to that? Maybe this was an omen- maybe the gods were telling her not to do this- maybe she was being stupid. But even if this were an omen, why is she listening to the gods about her love life?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-“ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason placed a comforting hand in her shoulder. “Hey, what is it? You know you can tell me anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know I </span>
  <em>
    <span>can</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” said Piper, “but…” she sighed. The more she tried to convince herself she shouldn’t do it, the more she realized she had to. The excuses she came up with sounded weak even to her own ears. By staying with him, she was only delaying the inevitable. If she didn’t do it now, she might never get the courage, and then she’d be hurting them both. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jason, you could never hate me, could you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason’s eyes widened. “Hate you? Why would I ever do that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper sighed. Now or never. “I care about you. You know that, right?” Jason nodded, ushering her to continue. “I just… I’ve been thinking a lot. And I don’t know…” her throat constructed, she had to do this. “I don’t know if I love you romantically, or I’ve just been led to believe that by Hera in her fake memories.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason looked like he wasn’t quite sure what to say. He kept a hand in her ankle where she kept crossed legged, silently asking </span>
  <em>
    <span>What do you need me to do?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if I like you because I </span>
  <em>
    <span>like</span>
  </em>
  <span> you or because I want to please my mom. I do care about you. A lot. But I’m not sure if…” This wasn’t coming out how Piper wanted. “And I don’t want to drag you along if I’m not sure, that isn’t fair to you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So… what do you want to do?” He asked. “Do you… want to break up?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper let out an almost pathetic laugh. “I wouldn’t say I </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> to. But it’d be cruel not to.” She signed. “I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason stayed quiet for a moment, like he was trying to process things. Then he squeezed her ankle. “Don’t be sorry. You didn’t ask for Hera and your mom to mess you up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not upset with me?” Piper asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason shook his head. “Never. We’ll always be friends, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Always,” Piper answered quickly. The last thing she wanted was to lose him entirely. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then I’m surprisingly okay with it.” Jason mused. “I care about you a lot too, and I thought being together would make you happy. If it’s not, then I don’t see any reason we should keep dating, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait,” said Piper, “run that last part by me again? Did you just say we got together because you knew it’d make me happy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason squinted, confused. “Uh, yeah?” He said. “Why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You… we got together because you thought it would make me happy, not because you wanted to.” Piper reiterated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When you say it like that it sounds weird.” Said Jason. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well how would you say it?” Piper asked gently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I asked you out because I care about you and I want you to be happy and I knew it would make you happy.” Jason explained, sounding less sure of himself. “Is that… not… why people date?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper shook her head slowly. “No, no not usually. You date someone because you want to, Jason. Because you’re in love with them.” A beat passed in the conversation. “Are you in love with me Jason?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason paused, seeming unsettled by the question, and unsure how to answer. “Let me rephrase that- if I had never shown interest, if you didn’t know if dating would make me happy, would you have still asked me out? Is that what you wanted?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t say anything, still. Like he hadn’t been asked what he wanted before. He didn’t seem like he was quite processing any of this. Piper felt awful, not for breaking up with him this time, but she just felt bad for him. Jason lived for other people. Even simple things in his life, like dating, he felt like he had to be doing it for others approval. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think we both may have some problems.” Piper decided.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason nodded. “I’m starting to realize that, too.” He gave her a sad smile and held out his pinky to her. “Friends?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She locked their pinkies together and shook them like a handshake, like a promise. “Friends. Always.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That seemed to make him more comfortable. She had a feeling that they’d both need some space, but they’d be okay. “Now, about that cake-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which was exactly when Percy Jackson came running toward them, and Piper could tell from his expression that he brought bad news.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 476</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ignore that one part on page 499 where Piper and Jason kiss and the part in page 500 about Piper wanting to kiss him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Between the end of Mark of Athena and right before the start of House of Hades.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been nine days since Percy and Annabeth fell. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth had been the leader, while Percy was her natural second in command. Jason had liked that, being able to step aside. After years of being thrust front and center, he was finally getting used to not being in charge. Then, after Annabeth and Percy left, the other demigods had thrust him into the spotlight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s not that he didn’t understand- he knew perfectly well why they did it. Jason was now the demigod on board with the most quest and leadership experimave, as well as being a powerful demigod son of Jupiter. Yeah, it made sense. He didn’t know why it bugged him so much, he’d been looked up to in the exact same way his whole life, what was different?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe it was because he had finally gotten used to staying in the background. Maybe it was because he finally had the space and time to realize that leadership wasn’t something he wanted. Whatever it was, being in charge of a quest was much more stress and responsibility than he remembered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Monsters were attacking nonstop, he helped Leo rearrange the chores chart to have multiple people on the deck at all times. Jadon usually took night watches. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not only that, but crew morale had been extraordinarily low. Not like the beginning of the quest, where not everyone got along and there was a lot of infighting, but everyone just seemed really drained. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason tried his best (as newly non officially appointed leader) to keep spirits high. He kept sparring with Frank. He was getting much better, Jason could tell he liked letting off steam in training on an appointment who could take it. He also really liked positive reinforcement, he usually left their sessions feeling better. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason had been trying to get Frank into strategizing. Now that Annabeth was gone, Jason was the only one who knew how to battle plan. Since Frank was a son of Mars, Jason knew he had the capacity to be a great leader. And now that Jason had seen Frank on the actual battlefield, he knew the son of Mars had incredible potential, but he seemed reluctant to let it show at all. But Jason thinks he may be wearing down on him, and that Frank may be finally showing that Mars cunning. He hopes Frank understands how important that is to the team.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Though Annabeth was gone and Piper still wouldn’t join, Jason and Hazel kept having girls night where they could squeeze it in. Hazel often talked about how worried she was about her brother, and how Nico kept telling her to stop treating him like he’s made of porcelain when he’s doing the same thing to her. Jason usually talked about Piper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper was a while other story. On one hand, Jason wasn’t sure what he should be feeling towards her at all. He had never been through a breakup before, nor had anyone else in the Argo II. After talking it out multiple times with Ho the Hazel and Leo (separately), he decided that he had never actually liked Piper that way, and it was a good thing they had both recognized it and broke it off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But that didn’t mean things were all fine and dandy now. Things weren’t quite normal yet. He and Piper haven’t really talked one on one yet, and whenever they try, it's always a bit awkward. It’s better now that it was the first two or three days, but not great. Leo assured him she would come around. Both of them just needed time to adjust.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Jason had been spending a lot of time with Leo, too. Ever since the incident, Leo had been down in the engine more, and smiling less. Jason didn’t like that. He could tell Leo was taking it personally, as if what happened to Percy and Annabeth was his fault. He had explained the fortune cookie situation, but Jason didn’t believe Leo had anything to do with it. Leo had a tendency to blame himself for things he didn’t cause, Jason was starting to understand how his head works, and trying to convince him he wasn’t a guilty party, but it was still really worrisome.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason thinks he spends more time down in the engine with Leo than with anyone else. Now that things between him and Piper are weird, Leo is the person he feels most comfortable around. He knows about Octavian and Jason’s constant identity crisis, everything. Leo was surprisingly easy to talk to. And although the engine room was cramped and hot and he couldn’t touch most things in there, he liked spending time with Leo, and it was worth it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But they also had a new member of the crew, Nico. Jason wasn’t really sure what to think about him, yet. The kid freaked him out, sure, but Jason couldn’t help but find something familiar in the way he seemed to shrink away from others, as if not only trying to hide from their stares, but what they might find if they look to close. As if he knew what everyone thought of him, knew it was wrong, and had given up trying to change their minds, because he knew it was a waste of time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn’t help that Nico was constantly giving Jason a hard time. He tried his best to be nice to him and whatnot, and Nico kept being purposefully unhelpful and testing his judgement. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you stop acting like you’re happy I’m here? I know you’re not.” Nico had said, once. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>No one here</span>
  </em>
  <span> is happy that I’ve replaced Percy and Annabeth. Stop pretending that you are.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t like hanging around the other crewmates, always skirting around the edges of crew meetings like a shadow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hung out with Hazel mostly, because they were siblings. Frank was uneasy around him, but no one could hate Frank, so Nico seemed to tolerate him. Nico seemed more weirded out by Piper than Piper was of him. Leo was clearly scared of him, but was constantly teasing him anyway. Calming him names like “the emo kid” and “edge lord”. Jason wasn’t sure what either of those meant, but Nico seemed to, and didn’t like it. Or, he didn’t like it at first, but he was used to it now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason was more worried about how the others acted around on another. Piper seemed to get along with everyone just down, and Leo and Frank were friends now, so that was good, but the two of them seemed to still have a strained relationship with Hazel. Jason still didn’t know what was going on with Leo and Hazel, but he hoped Frank and her would talk about whatever was going on with them- someone on this ship deserved to have a stable relationship. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo, Nico, and Hazel were in guard tonight, and thoughts of leadership flickered in and out of his head as he tried to fall asleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason knew immediately that he was dreaming. After having one too many demigod dreams, you got used to it. He was inside a house, he recognized it immediately from the archery tire that he was in New Rome. A knock came from the door, and a figure lumbered down the stairs to open the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was Predator Karlo, or, ex Predator. Jason almost didn’t recognize him without a toga. He looked awful. He wore a purple Camp Jupiter hoodie that hid his defined built, and stained grey sweatpants. His brown locks were all over the place, as if he hadn’t combed it in a while, and stubble obscured his Romanian brown complexion. He had bags under his normally warm brown eyes, as if he hadn’t been sleeping normally, either. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason didn’t often visit the ex Predator to where he had retired in New Rome, they hadn’t been very close. He hadn’t known Predator Jenna’s death had impacted him so badly. Though, it made sense. They had been very close.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He opened the door, and Jason saw Octavian standing behind it. The young Argur looked delighted to see him, though Karlo looked somewhat indifferent. “Hey, kid.” He greeted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Karlo,” Octavian bowed. Karlo stepped aside to let him in. “I wanted to talk to you about something important.” He said. Karlo’s fave immediately dropped, and dread set in. “And I know you said not to bother you with politics anymore, I would hardly agree this falls into the category of-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just spot it out, Octavian.” Karlo snapped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason flinched at his tone. Karlo was a son of Mars, and Jason had only seen him mad a handful of times in his life. He was ferocious on the battlefield. Between the two of them, Karlo had been the muscle, and Jenna had been the brain. One if he reasons Jason had been so shocked by Frank was gay he was used to children of Mars like Karlo, quick to anger and somewhat uptight. Jenna had always been able to calm him down when he was stressed or angry. They had balanced each other out. Who was he now, without her?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jason Grace has been missing for two months,” Octavian spoke. “Apollo has not… I have not been given insight into what might have happened to him. I was hoping, I need guidance. I don’t know what else to do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Two months? Jason thought, this must be a memory, from back when he still had amnesia.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not a seer,” Karlo reminded him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know,” said Octavian, “I was just hoping you’d know-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t an </span>
  <em>
    <span>Argur</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Predator</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Said Karlo, sternly. “I don’t know anything about what you do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian seemed to shrink away from him, Jason had never seen him so vunrable. He had through nothing phased his friend. (Or, well, they weren’t friends anymore, were they?) But Octavian looked like he needed Karlo’s approval.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know that, I just thought… you always said we were like minded. You said I was destined for great things, even when my father said I wasn’t. I though…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You thought I wanted you to be Predator.” Karlo summarized. “I know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian flinched. “...what?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Karlo seemed to snap. “You’re not an idiot, Octavian, use your head! I knew you wanted to be Predator, and you’d never want the Argur position. But you're a </span>
  <em>
    <span>seer. </span>
  </em>
  <span>You can never be anything other than what you were born to be. I tricked you, don’t you see? I made you think I wanted you to be Predator, when I was actually preparing you to become Argur. Now stop bothering me, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>do your job!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian had a look of pure fear and betrayal on his face as he backed up to the door and left. He closed the door behind him and, finally alone, his facade fell. His shoulders sagged, his head dropped, he looked disheartened, alone, but mostly, exhausted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What did I tell you? </span>
  </em>
  <span>A disembodied voice echoed from nowhere, and Octavian flinched and covered his ears. Jason knew the voice must be speaking directly inside his head. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Everyone is going to betray you. Everyone. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Knock it off, I heard you the first time.” Octavian sighed. Jason recognized this voice from somewhere, but he couldn’t put a name to it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Not until you heed my warnings. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Said the voice. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You must prepare the legion for war, before it’s too late. Only you can do this.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian strode down the street, as if trying to block out the voice. “War against what?” He complained. “The legion is at peace, we have no enemies. And if you say Greek again I swear-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Greeks! </span>
  </em>
  <span>The voice boomed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian groaned. “There aren't any Greeks!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You choose to defy me, and things will only get worse! </span>
  </em>
  <span>The voice said. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Next will be Jason Grace, just as I have foretold. Have I ever steered you wrong?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, my lord.” Said Octavian, leaving the city. “But how can I wage war on someone if I don’t have any evidence they’re going to attack us? An enemy no one else knows exists?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Only you can do this. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Said the voice. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You must seize the Greek encampment, and destroy them all, or they will destroy New Rome. I have shown you this future in dreams, haven't I? First? Your father will betray you. Then the son of Mars. Then Jason Grace, then the Predator, then the Legion will fall to the Greeks unless you attack first.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian shook his head. He reached the temple of Apollo, a bold choice. “You didn’t answer my question. How do I convince the council to wage war in an enemy they don’t know exists and hasn’t done anything to us? Why do I have to do it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Because you’re the only one that can. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Said the voice. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That's why I choose you to talk to. My Argur. You are the only one that can convince the council to attack, you are the only one who is persuasive enough. You have my insight to show them, they’ll believe anything you say. You see through the gods eyes, through </span>
  </em>
  <span>my </span>
  <em>
    <span>eyes. They’d be fools to ignore the god Apollo when he speaks through you. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The god Apollo? That voice didn’t sound like Apollo, where they claiming to be him? Was Octavian being tricked?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian stood silent for a moment. “Is what Karlo said true? Is this my only purpose? To be a puppet for prophecies? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Your</span>
  </em>
  <span> puppet? Is it impossible for me to be what I want to be?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The voice seemed to consider this. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No. Nothing is impossible. Not for my champion. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian seemed to brighten with this news. This voice- whoever it was- was the only person who was being remotely kind to Octavian right now, no wonder he started believing it after Jason joined the argonauts and the elodons attacked Camp Jupiter. Everything it had predicted had come true. Why shouldn’t Octavian believe it?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Pick yourself up, Octavian. You have more work to do.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason jolted awake. Static danced along the walls of his cabin, he must have been electrocuting in his sleep again. But at the last second, he recognized that voice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was Gaea.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End House of Hades page 1</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The House of Hades</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Start page 64</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You sure, man?” Jason asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo hopped down and walked closer to him. The last thing he wanted was for Jason to be worried about him. Not that Jason being worried about him was a bad thing, but Leo didn’t like the attention for reasons he can’t explain. That, and Jason was always worried about everyone these days, Leo didn’t want to add to his stress level.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, just dreams, you know.” Said Leo. “Nothing new.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, you too?” Said Jason. “I swear, dreams have gotten worse since this thing got here.” He pointed a thumb to the statue. “It’s making our dreams worse, it’s attracting monsters, and no one can figure out how it works.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right?” Leo agreed. “What was your dream about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason looked uncomfortable with the question, but still answered. “Just a memory.” He said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He explained his dream about Octavian and Karlo, and when he was done, he sighed. “The last time we met, he had told me that Apollo was guiding him, that Apollo foretold I was going to betray him, now, it makes so much more sense. Gaea’s manipulating him into going to war. She’s taking the voice of someone Octavian trusts to mess with him. And it doesn’t help that everything she’s ‘foretold’ so far has been true. Nothing Gaea has done or said to Octavian has given him a reason to distrust her. In fact, she’s the only person who’s like, being nice to him and believing in him right now. She has him in the palm of her hand. I wish I could actually talk to him, get him to see reason. But we can’t go back, now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo patted him on the arm. “Man, that really sucks. I know Octavian is like, kind of a jerk to us, but he was your friend. No one deserves to be messed with like that, not by Gaea. And trust me, she can mess a guy up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo found himself talking about his dream. Something about Jason being uncomfortable with talking about his but still doing it anyway made Leo want to do the same. Jason never judged Leo for his weird junk, and Leo was touched enough to do the same. Now, Jason trusted him with anything and everything. Which actually meant a lot to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That sounds highly traumatizing.” Jason decided.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All in a night's work.” Leo agreed. “But the fact the Octavian spoke in Gaea’s voice in my dream… he’s totally being manipulated by her. But I don’t think there’s much of anything we can do about it, now. We can’t go back, clearly. And if we iris message him, why would he listen to a thing we said?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“True,” said Jason, “I just can’t help but think that I can’t give up on him. Maybe he’ll never forgive me, but he was my friend. Do I really just have to… let him go?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason shook his head. “That’s a loaded question, but uh, I meant to tell you- we made it through the mountains. We’re almost to Bologna. You should join us in the mess hall. Nico has new information.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 64</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Page 81, ignore Jason calling Piper his girlfriend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start after page 95</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their pace was brisk as they walked back to the ship. Leo regaled Jason in what feats he pulled while Jason was tied up in netting. He was sure Leo was making some stuff up, but he didn’t care. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, you did need me at all.” Jason awed. “How’d you even memorize every ingredient you would need to make a bomb?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo smiled under the praise. “I’m just cool like that.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, Leo pulled Jason to a stop before crossing the street, because he had looked the wrong way for incoming traffic. He had forgotten the roads are opposite here. “Thanks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t mention it.” Said Leo. “Man, I wish we had more time to get used to how Italy works. Besides just the traffic thing. This looks like a fun place to tourist.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve always wanted to come here.” Jason admitted. “Well, more to Greece and Rome. It sucks that we can’t actually experience it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo looked up at him with mischief in his eye. “Who says we can’t?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” Jason asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re in Italy right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And the crew won’t notice if we went missing for an extra few minutes while we do something fun.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason shifts on his feet anxiously. On one hand, the crew might worry in their absence, and Jason didn’t want anyone to freak out and think they died. But on the other hand, a fun activity with Leo sounded very tempting. He had been too stressed lately. “I’m not sure…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please?” Leo begged dramatically. “Just one thing! We’ll just do one thing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm,” said Jason deliberately taking a long time to answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come on! One thing!” He insisted. “Italy date! Italy date!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He puffed out his cheeks like a chipmunk and Jason guts squirmed and he knew he lost the battle. “Alright. </span>
  <em>
    <span>One thing.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yesalright!” Leo said enthusiastically. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo dragged his hand down the street. “Where are we going?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I saw an ice cream cart!” Leo explained. “Imagine it; Italian ice cream </span>
  <em>
    <span>in Italy!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. They quickly got in line. “Do you think it'll be better?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who knows,” said Jason, “I’m not even sure Italian ice comes from Italy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The line was short and they were soon at the front. Leo squinted at the menu, but it was in Italian. “Do you guys sell Italian ices?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ice?” Said the man at the cart, with a heavy accent. “No ice. Don’t do that here. You choose from menu.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo reluctantly pointed at something on the menu that resembled what he was looking for and the mixture was made for them fairly quickly. Jason ends up paying, because Leo spent all his euros on bomb materials.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They made their way back to a fountain and sat to eat. Leo had ordered them Granita. It tasted nice, but it wasn’t Italian ice. It was more like a slurpee, but more ground up and soft. It was fruity, so Jason liked it. But Leo seemed devastated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s called </span>
  <em>
    <span>Italian</span>
  </em>
  <span> ice, Jason.” He said. “We’re in </span>
  <em>
    <span>Italy</span>
  </em>
  <span>. How do they not have it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason patted his back. “I don’t think the ice has anything to actually do with italy. Like how French fries don’t have anything to do with France.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s so depressing.” Leo decided. “It isn’t even that good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? Mine’s fine.” Said Jason. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We did get different flavors,” said Leo. “I just wish I knew what the flavors were. I just pointed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason shrugged. He got another spoonful of his Grantia and as he was raising it to his mouth, Leo grabbed his wrist and diverted it to his own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He tensed under the sudden contact, though he didn’t know why. “Wait, why does your taste so much better? Why can’t I tell what flavor it is?” Said Leo. “It’s just like, vaguely fruity. The flavor is Green. What is this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can… switch? If you want?” Jason suggested, suddenly and completely uninterested in the food entirely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo waved him off. “Nah, it’s fine-“ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mew.” Said a tiny voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason looked down and right at his feet, sat a fluffy red-orange tabby cat with big emerald eyes, staring up at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mew,” it repeated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aww!” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think it wants our Grantias.” Said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well don’t feed it, then it’ll follow you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But it’s hungry!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There are a million hungry cats in Italy, they’re literally everywhere. Let it go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason leaned down to pet the cat, and it butted its little head against his hand trustfully. Jason looked back to Leo pleadingly, and his resolve seemed to have softened. “Okay fine, but if it follows us…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He let the threat hang empty. Jason gingery got another spoonful of his ice- though there wasn’t much left- and lowered it to cat level, where the cat gratefully lapped it up. Now satisfied, it sat down in a loaf and didn’t move.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo and Jason sat and talked for another few minutes while the cat stayed comfortably still. Then they stood up and began to walk away. Jason looked back to where the cat was, and it must have scampered off because it was nowhere to be seen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to miss that cat,” said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aww,” Leo said, “we’ll find you another cute cat in Greece, if we don’t die first.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two demigods managed to return to the Argo II without any further incident. Finally onboard, Piper tackle hugged Leo. “What happened? Where have you two been?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo shrugged mysteriously. “Oh, you know. Fighting dwarves.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper suddenly got serious. “Uh huh. And why is your tongue blue?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo flushed, caught. “I uh, licked something I shouldn’t have. Right, Jason?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason, not wanting to reveal his tongue green, simply nodded. Frank huffed. “Sounds like something you’d do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo blew a raspberry at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dinner was a quiet affair. Leo was sure Piper, at least, had figured out about his and Jason’s detour. But it had been worth it. Leo had been working too hard on the ship, and Jason had been so stressed out about the rest of the crew, he figured they could use just a bit of levity. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“... and did you know that Italians don’t even have Italian ices?” Leo was saying. Jason gave a long sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico scoffed. “I could have told you that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How in the world would you have known-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m Italian.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo paused for a moment, he had completely forgotten. “Right.” He said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mew,” said a tiny voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo whipped his head around as fast as he could without the whole thing falling off his shoulders. A ginger cat strode into the dining room like it owned the place.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where did that come from?” Said Frank.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kitten?!” Hazel squealed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper and Nico both froze. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my gods,” said Leo, “I told you it would follow us. I told you. The stupid cat followed us into the ship!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This baby followed you?” Hazel cooed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I told Jason not to feed it,” Leo said defensively.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was hungry!” Jason countered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> you two ate something!” Piper exclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s so besides the point,” reminded Nico, “there’s a cat on our ship!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aww, we’ll have to stop somewhere to let it off.” Said Piper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No!” Said Hazel. “We can’t do that, they’ll have to adapt to a new environment! They might not survive!” She crouched on the floor and the cat walked right up to her, and let her pet it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, we can’t turn back,” Jason brought up, “we’ll lose time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you suggesting we keep the cat?” Frank asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no ones saying that.” Leo said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason shrugged noncommittally. “I mean, I don't see why not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why not?” Said Nico, “we don’t have cat litter!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We have hay in the Pegasi stables and ways of disposing Pegasi poop.” Said Hazel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can’t feed it!” Countered Nico. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think the magic plates can make cat food,” suggested Piper. To test it out, the cleared her plate of food and, lo and behold, cat food filled it. The cat seemed to sense the food and leaped from Hazel’s arms into the table and began eating immediately.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is crazy, we can’t keep a random cat.” Said Leo. “We’d be exposing it to monsters and gods, it would be in danger.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can take care of a cat.” Said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo opens his mouth to speak, but the cat bumped its head against Jason’s hand as he made the softest </span>
  <em>
    <span>I love you </span>
  </em>
  <span>eyes at the animal. All of Leo’s thoughts came to a screeching halt, and he couldn’t remember what he was going to say until he found himself saying, “Well… I guess a cat can’t be that bad….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do not take their side.” Nico warned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t we put it to a vote,” said Jason. “Everyone that wants to keep the cat, raise you hand.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel, Piper, Jason, and (reluctantly) Leo raised their hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All opposed?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico raised his hand and Frank raised his halfway, like he wasn’t quite sure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And we’re keeping them.” Jason decided.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Democracy at its finest.” Piper praised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the cat nibbled on the food, Hazel spoke. “What should we call them?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess that depends on its gender. At least a little.” Nico suggested. “But I can’t tell.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s easy.” Frank picked up the cat and held it so he could see its underbelly. It didn’t protest. He put it back down. “She’s a girl.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico stared lifelessly at the table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We could name her after a god, maybe that’ll help us on our quest.” Piper suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, good idea.” Said Leo. “Who's the god of quests?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mercury?” Said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, like, the god of voyages and stuff.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You mean Mercury.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll put it on the pile.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And Hermes.” Nico added.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s the same guy.” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico shrugged. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It could help if we named her after Frank’s dad,” Piper suggested. “since we’re going to war and stuff.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was really hoping there would be a super specific minor god of voyages on boats.” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason tapped his chin, deep in thought. “Well, I think there’s Abeona. She’s the goddess of long journeys and protects travelers and young children.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo put his hands on Jason’s shoulders. “That was literally exactly what I was hoping you’d say. That’s the exact kind of goddess we need the help of right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All in favor of Ab-ee-own-a? Was that it? Raise your hand.” Said Hazel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was unanimous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Abeona sat unaware, chowing down in dry cat food.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 95</span>
</p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 120</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“... Venetians love dogs.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Poor Abeona.” Said Jason. “She’d never fit in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you think she’s secretly a monster, too?” Asked Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel gasped, mocking offense. “That little baby would never. She slept In my bed last night. The whole night.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because you keep feeding her.” Said Piper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel stood her tongue out at her, and Piper laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But seriously, what are they?” …</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 120</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 154</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ignore all mentions of Frank looking different. It rubs me the wrong way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 156</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before page 186</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It only took a day for Abeona to get settled. Jason had to scoop her poop from the hay downstairs, and remember to feed her whenever she got hungry. But for the most part, she made herself pretty scarce.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whenever monsters attacked, she got spooked and ran below deck. When the crew went to check up on her, she was perfectly fine. The only bad thing was that she kept sleeping in tiny places in the engine room, and spooking Leo whenever he found her. And since Jason spent so much time down there with him, it was practically free entertainment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The day after Frank, Hazel, and Nico’s quest in Venice, Jason had sparred with Frank (as they usually do), and Frank had wiped the floor with him. And of course, since Frank was still a beginner swordsman, Jason had been using beginner techniques. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Beginner's luck?” Frank suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Jason wasn’t so sure. Without holding back this time, Jason had tried again. He found out that whatever Frank had done on his quest made him a much more confident fighter. He wasn’t any better at it than he had been before- you don’t just magically get better at these kinds of things- Frank must have had some insane confidence booster while on that quest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He later found out that Frank had killed all of the weird monster cows in Venice and yeah- that’ll do it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s weird,” Leo had said, once. “I made a joke about him the other day, and he made one right back. Full whammy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason had sighed, still not quite understanding all of his slang. “Killing a hundred crazy cows is a real confidence booster.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well making fun of Zhang was </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> confidence booster,” Leo had said, jokingly, “and now it’s gone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You need a new confidence booster.” Jason had decided. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cleaning up after the cat became Jason’s job, since Hazel had taken up the job of feeding her (or as Jason liked to call it, spoiling her rotten). On the second day, Jason (after having a riveting discussion with Leo about why kitten dung was objectively better than Pegasi dung) went to the stables to clear out any that may be left. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stop hiding! Tell me what secrets you're keeping from us. Show me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason suddenly felt the urge to talk about all the insecurities he had been avoiding since he was a child, and then stopped himself. Piper must be down here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pipes?” He called.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason lowered himself into the stables and saw Piper sitting by the Athena Parthenos. Abeona was sittin on Nike’s face, looking uninterested. When she saw him, Piper immediately stood up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jason, hey.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Were you charmspeaking the statue?” Jason asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper shrugged. “Couldn’t hurt to try. It’s works by magic, might as well give my magic a go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fair enough.” Jason agreed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here to clean up cat poo?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both laughed for a second, then lapsed back into silence. Jason sorted through piles of hay to find anything out of the ordinary. The awkward tension between the two of them was betting better, but it still make him feel weird around Piper. Like there was something neither of them was talking about.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Jason knew that wasn’t true. She had broken up with him, it had happened. There were no hard feelings- they were friends now. So why were things still so awkward?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe they just needed time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But maybe there was something Jason hadn’t said? Piper seemed to be taking this poorly, as if it were her fault for everything going bad. But it had been an inevitability, she had to have known that. Maybe he should verbalize that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason laid his hayloft down. “Piper, you know I’m not upset with you for the breakup, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper turned around, surprised. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ah ha, I was right. She </span>
  </em>
  <span>was</span>
  <em>
    <span> blaming herself. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jason thought. Then; </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh no, she’s blaming herself.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I understand why you did it.” He continued. “And I’m glad you did. You were right, we got together because we were pushed. We were both trying to please others. You with your mom and me with you. I’m starting to realize my line of thinking about romance isn’t super healthy. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. I’m going to take my own feelings into account the next time I ask someone out, promise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Some of the tension seemed to leak from Piper’s shoulders. “Okay.” She said. “How’d you know I needed to hear that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’re best friends for?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 187</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 188</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>.. a weasel scampers between her feet, screeching and farting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Plus, she had scared Abeona, which should have been a federal crime.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her friends…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 188</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On page 191 ignore mentions of Frank’s physical changes, thanks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ignore everything bad Hazel says about Jason in pages 206, 207, 208, and 209, they’re past that now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 249</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stepped forward, her eyes fixed on Reyna. “You got my message.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” Reyna confirmed. “Your… rainbow message came through just fine. Be aware, if this is a trick, we will not hesitate to retaliate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not,” Rachel promised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you bring any weapons?” Said Octavian, “And whose this faun you’ve brought with you? You said you’d be alone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason took a closer look at Octavian. No one but him would have been able to tell, but he looked worse for wear. He looked exhausted, like he had been avoiding sleep- probably being plagued by “warning” visions of New Rome falling to the Greeks. A gift from Gaea, further manipulating him into going to war. Jason wished he could reach out and shake the Augur and tell him what Gaea was doing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No weapons,” Rachel said. “And this is Grover, he’s a certified protector. He’s not going to hurt you, either.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grover flashed peace signs at the Romans.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s hear it then,” Reyna said. “What do you need to show me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rachel handed Reyna a napkin from her pocket. Reyna took it, and studied it closely. “This appeared in our bonfire a few nights ago,” Rachel explained. Octavian leaned over Reyna’s shoulder to read it as well. When Reyna noticed his presence, she held the napkin between them, so he wasn’t breathing down her neck. They both finished reading at near the same time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is this a joke?” Reyna finally said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Annabeth’s in Tartarus?” Octavian said, disbelievingly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Athena Parthenos,” said Reyna, “that has been lost for centuries.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We were surprised at first, too.” Grover sympathized.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ask your dogs, Praetor. That note does not lie. It comes from Tartarus.” Said Rachel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Argum and Argentum sniffed in the oracle’s direction, but did not bark.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reyna nodded believingly. Though Octavian scrunched his nose, he seemed to resign to believe her as well. Octavian was highly superstitious. It was why he believed everything “Apollo” told him, and he believe Reyna’s dogs unquestionably.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, Annabeth and Percy are in Tartarus. Fine. But the Greeks may be still trying to trick us.” Said Octavian. “They may have the real Athena Parthenos, but who says returning it to the Greeks will solve anything? This may just be a fool's errand to get you out of the picture, Praetor, so that they can attack our camp without our leader.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reyna pressed the napkin close to her chest and started at the floor deep in thought. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know it has to be you, Reyna.” Rachel urged. “You know this is the only way. We could stop this war, but the Argo II needs your help.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>There is no stopping this war</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Octavian snapped. “I’ve foreseen it! Over and over! If there was a way out, we would have taken it by now. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Your</span>
  </em>
  <span> camp attacked </span>
  <em>
    <span>us.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I disagree,” says Rachel. “I haven’t had any specific prophecy about it, but I’ve seen glimpses. I’ve seen Reyna on Half-Blood hill, with the Athena Parthenos, I see peace.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian raised an eyebrow. “And how are you qualified to see anything?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am Apollo’s Oracle of Delphi. I see through him.” Rachel explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps our Apollo’s are different.” Octavian sneered sarcastically.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why me?” Reyna asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because you’re their leader,” said Grover, gesturing to the Romans. “Who else would inspire peace like you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can be seriously considering this.” Said Octavian. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reyna turned to him. “If there is a way for this to end peacefully, I have to take it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know there isn’t.” Said Octavian. “When a god yells at you to attack, you attack.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We wouldn’t have risked coming here is we didn’t thing this could stop a war.” Said Rachel</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why would the Greeks want that after </span>
  <em>
    <span>they </span>
  </em>
  <span>attacked our city and started it in the first place?” Reyna asked, calm as ever.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know why.” Said Rachel. “No one wants this war. We need to reconcile the gods’ Greek and Roman sides, and fight Gaea together.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And that’s not the worst of it,” said Grover. “That’s why I came to talk to you; I’m on the council of cloven elders.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the Romans had blank reactions, Grover clarified. “It’s a high ranking place for satyrs. Anyway, I’ve been talking to satyrs and nature spirits across the continent. They’re all saying the same thing. Gaea is stirring- I mean, she’s right in the edge of consciousness. She’s whispering in the minds of Naiads and Dryads, trying to turn them to her side. And when they don’t listen, she causes earthquakes to uproot their trees and divert their rivers.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian clutched his hands together, like he could almost recognize that Gaea was doing the same thing to him. Jason willed him to realize it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Exactly,” said Rachel. “When Gaea wakes, she will rise </span>
  <em>
    <span>everywhere</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And she’s already stirring. And we now know her first targets are the demigod camps. She wants them destroyed. We need to work together if we’re going to stop her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reyna squinted. “Markus, bring me Scorpio.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Reyna, no.” Octavian said, grabbing her shoulder. “How can you justify this mission? You don’t even know where the Argo II </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> right now!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If they’re in Greece, I know a place where Jason will stop.” Said Reyna simply. Jason knew immediately what she was talking about, they had talked about visiting there a thousand times.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Reyna, please.” Octavian pleaded. “The Romans need their leader right now. We’re on the verge of war. This is a fool's errand, they’re sending you to your death. And I know we’re not exactly friends, but I don’t want you dead.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reyna sighed. “If there is a peaceful way out, a chance to avoid this war, how can I call myself a good leader if I don’t take it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian considered that, and conceded defeat. “Argur is senior officer while your gone. I’ll be as good as Praetor.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reyna lifted her head to meet his eye. “You will not launch an attack without my direct orders to do so. You may continue to scout the enemy, you may ready your armies, secure your positions, gather all our allies, if you catch those dwarves who have been messing with our stuff, send them to Tartarus. But you may </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>attack Camp Half-Blood until I return.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I understand,” said Octavian, “and while you may be my Praetor, an Augur’s only true allegiance is to his patron, Apollo. If a god tells me to attack in your absence, I will not ignore him.” He leans in closer, “You may let your feelings cloud your judgement when it comes to the Greeks, but I am not you. I know who the enemy is, and I will not let New Rome fall.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason felt ice flow through his veins, if he had any in his ghostly dream form. Both Jason and Octavian could tell that Reyna was placing her faith in Jason, and subsequently Annabeth and the whole crew of the Argo II. Faith that they would end this war. And because of that, she was leaving Octavian in charge, someone who would not hesitate to attack the Greeks. If Annabeth was lying or Jason was trying to tuck her, she could be risking all out war. That was a lot of trust.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And to Octavian, trust was weakness. Jason used to think the same way. Octavian would never trust Jason in that way, and Jason wouldn’t trust Octavian. They had been friends, but duty always came first. Jason never realized he had yearned for more than that before he had met Leo and Piper and the others. Octavian looked down on Reyna because of it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On one hand, he understood Reyna’s thought process. Jason had been her closest ally and friend when they were young, she trusted him. And any friend of his was a friend of hers. She had met Annabeth and liked her, she trusted her to an extent. She didn’t want a war (who did), but since the Greeks attacked first, she had no choice but to retaliate. Now she had the chance to stop bloodshed in her ranks. As a leader, she had to take the opportunity, even if it could be a trap. Even if it meant leaving Octavian in charge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But on the other hand, he understood Octavian’s thought process, too. Octavian has been a seer all his life, and never has any of his prophecies been wrong. With his vision from Apollo, he had prevented countless deaths in the second Titans war. Why would this time be any different? Especially since “Apollo” seemed so insistent that they attack, he sends dreams of “what might happen if they don’t attack” (Camp Jupiter burning, New Rome destroyed) every night, so violently he couldn’t sleep and when he did, he woke up shaking. Octavian loved New Rome fiercely, he couldn’t ever stand by and let that happen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Who was he supposed to be rooting for?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reyna flinched, if only monoscopicly. She masked any fear that may have shown on her face. She did say a word, she turned to the Greeks. “I will head back to Camp, and I will pack to leave immediately. I hope, for all our sakes, that your friends know what they're doing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rachel and Grover nodded. They parted ways, walking to opposite sides of the building. Grover opened his mouth to say something, but instead, he spoke in Piper’s voice for some reason; “WAKE UP!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 257</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On page 261, ignore Piper acting jealous and the part on page 262 about Jason being attracted to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 264</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jaso started at his uneaten sandwich. It was hard to talk about his life before Juno wiped his memory. Life there had been so different that it was now. He did necessarily feel like a whole new person, but he didn’t quite think the same way now. He had a close knit group of friends, and he felt more… Greek. And talking about before, in such a different environment, he wondered if any of his friends understood how someone would grow up to behave like. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason had behaved like, well, a soldier. He wasn’t a real person- just a mold of different expectations. He hadn’t liked it. Well, he hadn’t minded it then, but now? He would despite having to go back to that. And thinking about his life before made him think about what he was going to do after this quest. If he hated it so much, would he go back? Be Praetor? And just leave all his new friends? Could he do that?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Reyna and I used to talk about Diocletian.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 265</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 270</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe we should buy some ice cream.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason almost absently thought of the other place in Italy where Leo had tried to buy Italian Ice, and the fountain where he had complained about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Said Nico.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason realized he must have been making a face, and flushed- though he didn’t know why. “Nothing, that’s a good idea.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they made their way to the street cart…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 270</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start Page 285</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The voice rushed past Jason's ear like a bullet. When he turned, no one was there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You come to claim the scepter.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico stood at his back, and for once, Jason was glad to have his company- Cupid’s voice gave him the chills. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where are you?” Jason asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The voice laughed. It sounded rich and heavy. Threatening, like a tremor before an earthquake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Where you least expect me to be, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Cupid answers, </span>
  <em>
    <span>As Love always is.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something invisible but clearly solid slammed into Jason’s chest and hurled him across the room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason got back to his feet, and he felt a presence over him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How dare you enter my palace. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Cupid sneered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason held his sword aloft. “We didn’t mean to intrude, we just want the scepter.” Jason explained. “What do you want us to do for it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What do I want you to do? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He asked. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Do you know what I hate most in the world, Son of Jupiter?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Confused, Jason kept his stance defensive. “... what does that have to do with…?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico had sprinted up to them, and brought his sword down right in front of Jason, where he thought Cupid may have been standing, but his sword passed through thin air.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico and him made eye contact, both thinking the same thing. Favonius had made it sound like Cupid would be testing Nico, but Cupid seemed to target Jason just then.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You okay?” Nico asked anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, just sucker punched.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, did you expect me to play fair? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Cupid laughed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I am the god of love. I am </span>
  </em>
  <span>never</span>
  <em>
    <span> fair. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason figured this guy came for a fight, so Jason was prepared when an arrow came from nowhere at all, straight toward his chest, and he cut it in half.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He and Nico went back to back. He cut another arrow and Nico dodged just in time. The arrow landed on a pillar behind them and it burst into cobblestone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is this guy love or death?” Jason said, mostly to himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ask your friends, </span>
  </em>
  <span>said Cupid. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Frank, Hazel, Percy. They met my counterpart, Thanatos. We’re not so different. Except Death is sometimes kinder. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We just want the scepter!” Nico shouted. “We’re trying to stop Gaea! Are you in the gods side or not?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason felt the god’s presence near, but could not tell from which direction. He swung his sword and something hit him in the back, Jason had swung in the exact opposite direction. Nico came closer, missing Cupid by an inch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Very, good Nico. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Said the Love god. </span>
  <em>
    <span>At least one of you sense true love when it stands right in front of you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason bristled. He didn’t know why Cupid was targeting him, but clearly, he had done something to make the god mad. Whatever it was, he was sure he had to make it up to him somehow, that was how they were going to get the scepter. And if that kept the god’s attention off Nico… Jason was willing to keep at it. Whatever made Nico so nervous, he shouldn’t have to be forced to do it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do I get the scepter? What do you want me to do?” Jason spat from where he lay on the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ground shook, and Jason failed in getting back up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What do I want? What do I </span>
  </em>
  <span>want? </span>
  <em>
    <span>How dare you come to my palace and ask things of me. How dare you stand here and continue to ignore me!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Several arrows flew in their direction. Jason was able to roll and dodge them, but Nico was too startled to move quick enough, and one landed in his arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason got to his feet to help, but the arrow disappeared on impact, and there was no wound. But Nico still cried with pain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nico-“ Jason said, about to ask what wrong.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The son of Hades raised his sword threateningly. “Enough games!” He said, his eyes were wild and he spoke defensively. “Show yourself!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Why, so you can ignore me some more? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Cupid said bitterly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I do not take kindly to this sort of insult! I take my job very seriously. Each person I take into account with extreme care and precision. You dare look into my face and call it </span>
  </em>
  <span>friendship</span>
  <em>
    <span>, Son of Jupiter?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason flinched. “What are you talking about?” He said. Was Jason ignoring something? He hadn’t noticed, if he had been. Ignoring love and calling it friendship… “Are you talking about Piper?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A barrage of arrows were sent in their direction. Nico and Jason had to split up to avoid them. Jason ran past pillars and down a set of stairs and hid behind a statue of some naked guy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You would hide from me? </span>
  </em>
  <span>The god screamed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You would hide your face from love?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason heard the sound of garnet hitting pavement. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Leave him alone!” Nico screamed. “It’s me you want.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason peered out from behind the statue. Nico held it sword high, his face was pale.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, Nico di Angelo. You dishonorable coward. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Cupid said, his voice familiar, soft, and pitying. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico suddenly looked a lot less courageous, like just those simple insults sucked all the brave right out of him. His legs shook like a newborn deer as he took a step back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You have already faced the worst. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Cupid continued. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Only a child of the Underworld can summon dead legions, and only an officer of Rome can lead them. You will summon the legion, help your friends save the world, and you will return back home, where you will find me, again.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Cupid’s voice remained soft as he said, </span>
  <em>
    <span>The worst is over, now. You can let go, child.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico looked horribly confused, and he didn’t lower his sword.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, with venom in his voice, he said; </span>
  <em>
    <span>But you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, three arrows thunked into the statue Jason was hiding behind and Jason wisely decided it was time to move. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t quick enough. An arrow hit him at the ankle. Quickly in his mind, he saw his first memory of his friends. Piper holding his hand in a bus, worry etched into her features. Then, his vision guided to the seat in front of him, Leo, grinning maniacally and for some reason, viewing it again, Jason found Leo much more appealing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason was yanked from the memory and landed right on his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you want from me?” He asked. “Just say it. Whatever I did, just tell me. I’ll make up for it- just say it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No, Jason Grace. What I want is for </span>
  </em>
  <span>you </span>
  <em>
    <span>to say it. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Said Cupid. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That is what I want from you. I want you to stop hiding. I want you to look at me. I want you to see me for what I am. I want you to acknowledge me. Nothing makes me angrier than when someone refuses to recognize my hard work!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another arrow sailed past him and one more right toward his chest, but Jason’s sword had fallen away from him so he couldn’t block it, and it hit him square in his chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw Leo in the bus seat in front of him. Leo making a tiny gadget that flew straight across the grand canyon. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’ll never underestimate him again.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo grinning up at him from Festus the dragon. Fire dancing in his palms, saving him from angry cyclopses. “I didn’t want you to think I was weird.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Spending hours with him down in bunker nine and then later in the Argo II engine room, just because he wanted to. Just because Leo was easy to be around, he made Jason feel… wanted. Loved. Comfortable. “I want to name it the Argo II, after Jason’s ship.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo changing course for him without a second thought. Leo taking his wrist and Jason freezing on contact. “Italy date, Italy date!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He felt like something ripped out his guts and they were shoving them back into his face, he felt like screaming. When he opened his eyes, he saw Nico staring at him, alarmed. That when Jason realized he </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>screamed, and summoned lightning in self defense, he could have killed Nico. The way the son of Hades was looking at him, he must have seen the memories too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason saw a figure come out of the shadows. Standing there in brilliant white dove wings and a simple white t-shirt and loose fitting black pants, was a figure he knew all too well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Leo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cupid’s face melted into a sad smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason’s thoughts raced, “I’m… I’m in love with Leo?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The god nodded. Jason didn’t attempt to rise to his feet, he feared his legs wouldn’t work. At least his voice worked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Happy now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I wouldn’t say love makes you happy.” Cupid’s voice was sympathetic. “Sometimes it makes you incredibly sad. But at least you’ve </span>
  <em>
    <span>faced</span>
  </em>
  <span> it now. That’s the only way to defeat me,”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cupid dissolved into the wind.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>On the ground where he stood lay an ivory staff three feet long, topped with a dark globe of polished marble about the size of a baseball, nestled on the backs of three Roman eagles. The Scepter of Diocletian.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico had been standing right behind the god when he disappeared. He, after a moment's hesitation, stepped forward and picked up the staff. Then he walked over to Jason, and held out his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason took it, and stood up. His legs were barely working, and he was hardly comprehending the new information. In love… with Leo? His best friend? How? How had that happened? How had he not noticed? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” said Nico. “I thought he’d come for me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So did I, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jason didn’t say. “I’m fine.” He did say, his voice sounding very not fine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I won’t tell anyone.” He said. “I… I get it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason shook his head. “Well I’m glad one of us does.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico swallowed, nervous. He looked like he was debating saying something. “It gets easier, the whole ‘liking boys' thing, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Said Nico. “You learn to accept it eventually, even if you don’t like it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason tilted his head, confused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I had…” Nico gripped the staff so tight his knuckles turned white. Whatever Nico was going to say, Jason wanted to tell him he didn’t have to say it. But something told him, he wanted to. “I had a crush on Percy. So, I get it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason nodded, trying not to spook him. “I’m not the best with… feelings… but if, like, you wanted to talk about it or anything, you can talk to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Jason found himself saying. After this battle, Jason could tell Nico was fiercely loyal and an excellent ally to have. Maybe he’d be a good friend, too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a moment of silence, Jason said, “I can fly us back to the ship if-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” Nico announced. “This time we’re shadow traveling. I think we’ve both had enough of the winds for a while.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason couldn’t agree more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 294</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 317</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next two days were some of the most confusing of his life. Jason spent the night after his Cupid encounter on the prow of the ship, just thinking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The more he thought, the more sense it made. But it felt like he still wasn’t quite comprehending it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The weirdest part? Jason started to understand Nico more with every passing minute. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Percy thing made complete and total sense. It was like, the second Jason had that piece of the puzzle, everything else seemed to fall into place.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico was just like him, but in the complete opposite sense. Nico was a part of the group and both camps, but he was always an outsider because of the way people perceived him, because of who his dad was, just like Jason. Except people had looked at Jason like he was too good for them, and people thought Nico was too weird.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico didn’t try to make friends anymore, he had given up trying to change people’s minds. He figured they would always treat him this way just as they always had, and there was no point in trying to change it. Just like Jason. Except Jason was isolated anymore, he had the Argo II crew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That’s what Nico needed, friends like Jason found. Maybe it was because Jason felt sympathetic, or because he realized how similar they were, but he wanted to try to get Nico to be more a part of the group.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I did it!” Said Leo, running up to dinner fifteen minutes late. Abeona sat curled up in his chair, where Hazel fed him bits of her jerky sandwich when she thought no one could see.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did what?” Piper asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo held up a small celestial bronze gadget for everyone to see. “Ta da!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What does this one do?” Frank asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It plays cds, and projects the picture on a wall. And- get this- it plays the sound on the cd too. It comes out of this little speaker here.” Leo pointed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, a projector.” Said Nico.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” Said Leo. “But lemme tell you this- you can use it without attracting monsters. Because it’s made from celestial bronze and doesn’t use </span>
  <em>
    <span>any </span>
  </em>
  <span>mortal technology.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which means…?” Said Hazel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can have movie night!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other demigods around the table gasped in delight- all except Jason and Hazel, who had no idea what that was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You really did it this time, cupcake!” Said Coach Hedge. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know! We can finally watch Kung Fu Panda!” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why Kung Fu Panda?” Said Frank.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I only packed, like, four different movies, okay?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want to see the </span>
  <em>
    <span>options!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Said Piper. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo spread four cd cases on the dinner table and the crew started shouting over each other. Jason tried to stay quiet, he tried not to say much around Leo since he figured it out- he was afraid of what he might say if he opened his mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not frozen. Absolutely not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not Kung Fu Panda, not Frozen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My vote is for Aladdin.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m feeling Megamind. That movie is a literary masterpiece.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hazel’s first movie should definitely be Megamind.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Abeona stood up and walked away. “Aw, now look what you’ve done! You scared the cat!” Said Coach Hedge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason sighed, sometimes he was in awe of how powerful and mature his friends were. But sometimes they were annoying teenagers. This was one of those times.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason resigned himself to getting involved. “Okay okay, calm down. Why don’t we put it to a hand vote?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After an annoyingly long hand vote, the group decided on Megamind. As they meandered down the hallway, Jason noticed Nico straying behind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not coming?” Said Jason. “Not a movie fan?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico flinched, alarmed that Jason had noticed. “No, it’s not that.” He said, “I just… I’d rather get to bed on time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right.” Said Jason, voice heavy with sarcasm. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You </span>
  </em>
  <span>want to get to bed on time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico looked wildly uncomfortable for a moment, so Jason eased up. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, I’m just suggesting it.” He said. “But I think a little down time could do us all some good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The son of Hades squinted at him. “How do you know a monster won’t attack while we’re all downstairs?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason shrugged. “It might- but hey, that’s life. You coming?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico trailed after him feigning disinterest. “Hazel would miss me.” He explained. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There you are!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico and Jason followed the sounds of everyone else laughing and yelling to Leo’s room. The projector had been set up, and Hazel greeted them at the door, holding Abeona in her arms. “Go grab all the pillows in your rooms- Piper’s showing us how to make a pillow fort!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason sat down and almost immediately, Abeona ran from Hazel’s lap into his. Jason tried to sho her back into Hazel’s, but she stayed put firmly. Hazel insisted it was alright, so he let it go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Leo finally got the movie started, Jason looked over to see Nico wedged in between Frank and Hazel, trying to remain dignified. Piper and Coach Hedge sat closer to the picture on the wall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After everything was set up and working, Leo sat down next to Jason. Like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>right </span>
  </em>
  <span>next to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You okay?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Me?” Said Jason, like an idiot. But at least those were words, so he was getting somewhere.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” said Leo, “You haven’t visited the engine room all day, and you didn’t talk at dinner until you had to. You can’t play dumb with me sparky, I’m your best friend.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason smiled, </span>
  <em>
    <span>of course.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Nothing, man. Just stressed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo nodded understandingly. “Oh I hear that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something funny happened in the movie, and he heard the others laugh. Suddenly, Jason’s head felt lighter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll make it up to you- tomorrow, I’ll spend twice as much time watching you make repairs.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo turned his attention back to Jason, surprised and maybe a bit flushed, though that could have been his imagination. “Okay.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 317</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 318</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper hoped Hazel had been okay.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper and Hazel had started off somewhat rocky- Piper hadn’t been able to empathize with her when Hazel had need her to. And it had been entirely Piper’s fault. Piper had made some quick judgements about Hazel when she first met her- the same judgements she usually made about girls her age. There was a reason for that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper didn’t know what it was- maybe it was her heritage, or her dad, or her looks, but other girls tended to be awfully cruel to Piper. Especially when she was young, she had hardly had any friends, the other girls had called her weird and poked fun of everything they could find to make fun of. Little girls were </span>
  <em>
    <span>mean.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It made Piper feel… really really bad about herself. Insecure, even. Piper decided to be mean back, judge them back, so she wouldn’t feel that way anymore- so she could prevent it. But along the way, she stopped seeing girls her age as potential friends… and instead as potential threats.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper had a feeling that’s not what Aphrodite was supposed to be about. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel helped with that realization; when she had battled Sciron, she blew all of Piper’s judgements out of the water. Then, that night, Hazel surprised her again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper had been laying in bed, not quite asleep yet, when someone knocked on her door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel stood at the doorway, still in her pajamas. She looked frazzled and tired. “Hey.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I.. I had a dream. About, well, about a lot of things. I didn’t know who else to come to… can I come in?” Hazel asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course, yeah.” Said Piper. She sat up and patted next to her in the bed. Hazel sat down next to her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, what was this dream about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which was how they ended up talking about Annabeth- her dream had been of Tartarus. They shed a few tears and Piper had motioned for Hazel to lie down. She talked about how stressed she was about this whole mist manipulation thing- and after describing the process in which she had used it, Piper had realized it sounded just like charmspeak.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which shouldn’t have been surprising. They were both magic. Piper told her this, and offered to share what she knew about it, maybe it could help. Hazel was overjoyed, and offered to teach Piper some sword fighting- or knife fighting- whichever was most helpful, which Piper was grateful for. It wasn’t her strong suite. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Hazel fell asleep next to her, Piper couldn’t help but think that this must be what a sleepover is like. And Piper has had sleepovers before, yeah, but not in a really really long time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Piper was in middle school, she stopped going to them. She didn’t have many girl friends at that point anyway, and whenever one of them suggested it, she would decline. Something about sleeping near her friends, about being so physically close, changing together, it spooked her. For some reason. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually her friends stopped inviting her. Which was fine. But Piper hadn’t realized she had missed it, having girl friends. And Jason and Leo were great- better than great. The best friends she had ever had. And Annabeth was absolutely a girl, but Hazel seemed much softer, much more empathetic. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper felt like she had a new friend, which was great… assuming they lived long enough to enjoy the friendship.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 319</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ignore Jason kissing Piper on page 323</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 372</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is wrong.” She glared at the sky. “This is completely wrong!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow.” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl sighed dramatically and sat down in the sand. Leo wasn’t fond of getting his butt wet and sandy, but she looked so depressed he felt guilty about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sat down next to her. “You mind telling me what’s going on?” he said. “Any particular reason the raft isn’t coming?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked at him. “I don’t know, none of this makes sense, I don’t know what you’re doing here.” She tried to explain. “The gods usually send me mortal heroes every hundred years or so, and then they get to leave. My last hero was here pretty recently- I don’t think it’s been that long, at least. It makes no sense for you to be here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo raised an eyebrow. “And where is here, exactly? O-gee-gee-ah?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ogygia.” The girl corrected. “And you probably have somewhere important to be, huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo nodded, “Yeah, a quest. How’d you know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl shrugged. She looked out to the ocean line and saw nothing. No boat. “Maybe it needs some time.” She concluded. “Usually the heroes stay here for a little while before the raft comes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turned to him. “We can get you something to eat, and then you can leave me alone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stood up and walked inland. Leo still didn’t like this girl, but he figured she hadn’t tried to kill him yet, so that was good. And she wanted him to leave, also good. And he was hungry. So he followed her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Holy Hephaestus,” Leo said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The path he was following opened on opened to the nicest garden Leo had ever seen. Not that he spent a lot of time in gardens, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>dang</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On the left was an orchard and a vineyard- peach trees with red-golden fruit that smelled awesome in the warm sun, carefully pruned vines bursting with grapes, bowers of flowering jasmine, and a bunch of other plants that Leo couldn’t name.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On the right were neat beds of vegetables and herbs, arranged like soles around a big sparkling fountain where bronze satyrs spewed water into a bowl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl picked fruit off vines and hedges and wherever else they grew as she passed. As she walked past a picnic bench, she picked up a woven basket to put her fruit in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the back of the garden, where the footpath ended, a cave opened in the side of a grassy hill. Compared to bunker nine back at camp, the entrance was tiny, but it was impressive in its own way. On either side, crystalline rock had been carved  into glittering Grecian columns. The tips were fitted with a bronze rod that held silky white curtains.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo’s nose was assaulted by good smells- cedar, juniper, jasmine, peaches, and fresh herbs. The aroma from the cave really caught his attention- like beef stew cooking. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He followed the girl toward the entrance. Inside what was hardly what he’d call a cave. Jewels and glass shards hung from the ceiling, vines and sheets cling to the walls. Little wooden shelves jutted from the sides, holding little trinkets like children’s toys and books. There was an old looking bed and a small round Woden table with one chair, and a metal pot hung over a fireplace, boiling. Leo could smell it, it smelt awesome.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl flicked his ear. “That’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>my </span>
  </em>
  <span>dinner. You have the fruit basket.” For emphasis, she placed the basket on the table. “When you’re done, you can wander wherever, but I’d suggest not bothering me. And don’t touch anything. If you get tired, you can go to sleep anywhere </span>
  <em>
    <span>except </span>
  </em>
  <span>my bed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then she left him alone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He cautiously sat down on the wooden chair and started eating the fruit. He had to hand it to her, they were amazing. Not that he’d ever say that to her face. He wondered if she was a god of fruit or gardening or something. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wondered if his friends were okay. He was sure they’d be able to fight if the crazy ice lady, probably. Were they worried about him? Did they notice he was gone yet?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was sure they did. They had to. They were probably just as worried about him as he was for them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo hadn’t realized how tired he was. When he woke up, his head was spinning. He had fallen asleep at the chair, head on the table. When he got up, he noticed that things were floating around the room. Wet rags washing dishes, clothing folding itself, like the girl had gotten the chores to do themselves. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He decided now that he was fed and rested, he needed to get off this island. His friends needed him. And if he wasn’t getting a magical raft, he was going to find another way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He walked out of the cave and into the garden, he wondered which direction the beach was for a moment, and he spotted the girl planting vegetables. Leo remembered what she had told him earlier and quietly backed up, but she must have heard him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She turned around. “Hey, you’re awake.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo nodded. She seemed much less angry than before, and honestly, he didn’t want to set her off again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl stood up and walked over to him. She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for yelling at you yesterday, that’s unlike me.” She began. “I’m just… a bit on edge with the gods right now. And honestly, I hadn’t at all been expecting you. Besides, you’re probably just as upset as me about this situation, you have something important to get back to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All true.” He said, glad she wasn’t angry at him anymore. “I’m sorry for yelling too, I guess. Do you mind telling me why I’m here? And why we’re waiting for a magic raft?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sighed. “This is Ogygia. It’s a magical island that the gods banished me to after I supported my father, Atlas, in the first Titan war. Time passed strangely here, I don’t quite know how long it’s been. But every once in a while, the gods will send me a mortal hero to keep me company. The thing is, these heroes, they’re the type of people I tend to fall in love with. And the second I do, a magic raft shows up and takes them away.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And that’s why you thought I was a mistake,” said Leo. “Because I’m not…” He didn’t finish the thought. Leo already knew he wasn’t the kind of person people got crushes on. That was reserved for guys like Jason. Strong, competent, empathetic, always there for you… not people like Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” said the girl easily. “You were a surprise because usually, the gods are kind enough to wait until my heart has healed from my last hero visiter to send another one. It had hardly been </span>
  <em>
    <span>any</span>
  </em>
  <span> time since my last visiter. And here you are. It just seems cruel. Even for the gods.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo was pleasantly surprised she considered him in the category of boys who she could fall in love with, but he agreed. “That’s messed up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded. “Let’s go see if your raft is here yet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She walked down the path and Leo followed close behind. Finally, they arrived at the shore, where nothing but lapping waves waiting for them. The girl suddenly looked tired, and much older than fifteen. She sat down at the shoreline again and Leo sat down next to her. He did feel bad now, for yelling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo had thought that she might’ve been some kind of sorcerer, like Medea, but she didn’t seem like she wanted to kill him. Maybe she really just was lonely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few minutes in a depressing silence, Leo finally spoke. “I’m Leo, by the way. You never told me your name.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Calypso.” She said. Then everything clicked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew he remembered her myth from somewhere, he had heard it from Jason who had heard it from Piper who had heard it from Annabeth back at camp half-blood. “Oh, I know who you are! I knew your story sounded familiar. You met my guy Percy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso whirled her head around to look at him. “Oh man, that’s so wild, I’m on a quest with him right now! Well, not </span>
  <em>
    <span>right now </span>
  </em>
  <span>right now, because he’s… well… but that is such a coincidence- small world.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso said nothing, her face remaining unreadable. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, oh- he’s the guy that broke your heart recently! Oh gods, I did not connect those dots- my bad.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso turned her head back to the ocean. They stayed silent more a few awkward minutes as absolutely nothing appeared in the island. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So. Do we try again tomorrow or…?” Leo asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Time is different here,” said Calypso. “who knows when tomorrow will be. Or if the raft will ever arrive.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ever?” Said Leo, alert. “What do you mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think I’m going to fall in love again anytime soon,” she explained. “Or at all. Quite frankly, I don’t want to. That fact that they’ve broken the cycle by sending two heroes so close together… I don’t know. It isn’t normal for them. Something about this set up- you- isn’t normal. I don’t know if the rules are different this time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo’s stomach squirmed. “Well, then, there’s got to be another way off this island. What if I made my own raft?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It will sink.” She said. “You can’t leave this island unless the raft comes to you. No exceptions.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought you said this time was weird, that the rules might be different.” Leo contered</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso shrugged. “Whatever. I’m going back inside.” She walked up the path back to her garden, and Leo got to thinking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The days that passed got hard to count. He knew he’d been here for a while, definitely a few days, but he couldn’t keep track. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had found a hammock in the garden to sleep in, so that was good. Until it rained. He tried to send Iris messages, but nothing worked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso seemed indifferent to letting him use the resources on her island, as long as he didn’t touch her garden. He got started on building a raft, which was much harder than it should have been. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>First he needed to chop down trees, which was clearly a task made for people with upper body strength. Just chopping the wood had taken a day- at least. He couldn’t tell. He wished Jason were here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then he needed rope of some kind to tie all the logs together, which was easy to get, thanks to his tool belt, but he had no idea what knots to use or what is supposed to tie to what. And the logs he had cut weren’t perfectly straight, so there were holes in the raft. Ugh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At least Calypso seemed to accept his presence. She wasn’t particularly thrilled he was here, but she kept to her things and Leo kept to his and they lived in relative harmony. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She began letting Leo share a portion of whatever soup or stew she had made for herself, and telling him what not to eat, which was helpful. And fairly often, the two of them would sit on the beach in compete silence and wait for a raft that never came.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo spend most of his time attempting to built a raft and worrying about his friends. Calypso said time flowed differently here, did that mean he had been here for years and for his friends, only a few minutes had passed? Or maybe the quest had already been completed years ago and Leo hadn’t aged a day?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wondered if they were looking for him, or if they had continued on the quest. He didn’t know what to hope for. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But mostly, he missed them. He missed joking with Frank and Piper, feeding the cat with Hazel, and hanging around doing repairs to the Engine with Jason. He missed their easy conversations. He wanted someone else to talk to besides Calypso.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso was nice, but she didn’t really talk to him unless she had to. She seemed so resigned to being miserable, it made Leo upset. It certainly didn’t fit the mood of the island. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo had tried fixing his sphere- success. He attempted making a compass- not a success. It spun around in random directions, like this island didn’t exist in relation to the poles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something about it made him think of the bronze astrolabe they’d picked up in Bologna- the one the dwarves told him Odysseus had made. That guy had been sent here too, he thinks. He must have been thinking about this island when he made it. He wished it worked- but apparently it was missing some kind of operating crystal. He wondered if Calypso knew anything about that. He didn’t want to bother her with it, though. He didn’t want to upset her with another guy who had broken her heart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wondered why Khione sent her here. Was it random or did she want him here? Maybe she knew that whatever magic powers the island had broke because the gods were too incapacitated to pay any attention to it. Maybe that’s why Leo was here, actually. Maybe that's why Calypso's cycle had been broken?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever. Leo wasn’t getting anywhere with his raft. Whenever he was sure he had closed up all the holes and tied everything together, he would pick it up and it would fall apart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One day, he brought this news to Calypso as they were doing their daily “sit on the beach and wait for his raft to show up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re probably not tying it correctly.” Said Calypso.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do you tie something incorrectly?” Leo asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He ended up leading her to where he had been siding his raft, and she had laughed. “Oh yeah, that’s not how you tie a raft together.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then how would </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>do it, sunshine?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had sat down next to him and gotten to work. Calypso must have been a part of the Girl Scouts or something, because she could tie some seriously complicated knots. They managed to get the whole thing patched together by sundown. Leo hadn’t really even noticed the sun had set.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s wait for the sun to raise again in the morning. Then you can try to leave.” Said Calypso.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sounded dubious that it would be that easy, but Leo had faith. He went to bed on his hammock and the next morning, he met Calypso on the beach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s been a pleasure.” He said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pushed the raft into the water, and it floated. “Ha!” He exclaimed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso had helped him pack a few fruits for the road, and he got on board. Then he sailed off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was so excited. He was ready to see his friends again, he missed them- and the Argo II.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He made it twelve feet away from the island before his raft randomly sunk straight to the bottom of the ocean at light speed and Leo had to doggie prattle back to the shore before he drowned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aw, man.” Said Calypso. “You drown my fruit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo stood up and whipped sand off his… everything. “Okay, no sailing. Gotcha.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Told you,” she said. “Magical island, can’t leave.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo shook his head. “No, everything has a fix. If I can’t get out of here by sea, I’ll have to leave by air.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You want to fly out of here?” Said Calypso skeptically. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I want to </span>
  <em>
    <span>build</span>
  </em>
  <span> something that will fly me out of here.” Leo corrected. “Like a helicopter. Can I build a helicopter out of wood? Calypso, do you know how to build a helicopter?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s a helicopter?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thoroughly out of ideas and downtrodden, Leo resigned himself to laying face down in the hammock. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you going to lay there all day?” Calypso had eventually come up and asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe.” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s depressing.” Calypso decided. “You can’t give into misery, or you’ll stop living. Come make dinner with me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo had been weirded out by the offer, but it felt more like an order than anything, so Leo accepted it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso let Leo into her cave, where water was already cooking something in a pot over the fire. “Do you know what mincing is?” She asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo scoffed. “I know how to mince, Cal. I’m not ten.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She laughed, and handed him a cutting board. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Aw yeah, one point Leo. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She brought him an herb he didn’t recognize and a knife and left him to it. They spend the rest of the afternoon cooking. Whatever kind of stew it was, it tasted great. He wondered if this made him and Calypso friends now, but he didn’t want to push it by asking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At least Calypso and him had a steady niceness toward one another, and she didn’t hate him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next day, Leo paced around the island and thought of ways to fly off. He didn’t have anything to keep himself busy anymore, so he did a bit of thinking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He met Cal on the beach later and they sat in silence for a moment, before Leo decided to fill it, today.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo tried to explain what helicopters and airplanes were, and Calypso agreed that they probably couldn’t build one. She suggested maybe using the propeller, but powering is with bicycle pedals or something. That sounded like it would be tiring, but Leo didn’t see a better idea.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was pleasantly surprised when Calypso helped him collect wood and carve it into the shape they’d need. Leo asked for paper to start constructing ideas on how it would work, and apparently, Calypso made her own paper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They ended up talking about a lot of things. Leo asked how she managed to have and do all of this stuff. The paper, the food, the cave. Calypso said that she had to keep doing things and giving herself tasks, otherwise she’d probably lose it. Leo assumed that that’s what the cooking thing had been about.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo ended up talking about bunker nine back at camp, and all the things Leo did to take his mind off of impending doom during his quest. How he would spend hours in the engine room making repairs and upgrading the weapons with the arcemendais sphere. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like you spend a lot of time alone, instead of with your friends.” Said Calypso.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah,” said Leo. “My friends visit me a lot, and there’s always quests. Jason’s always down in the engine room with me. He’s great company.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They fell into a new routine, they would wake up and start on the petaling helicopter and make lunch, then eat lunch. Then back to the helicopter, then dinner. Then they’d sit by the back and talk while waiting for the raft to show up- which it never did- then they’d go their separate ways to sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once, while they had been making a tiny model version of the helicopter (Leo’s idea, he needed proof that it would work), Cal had said, “Have you taken a shower since you came here? You kind of stink.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo had tried his best to take baths in the river, but there weren’t any naturally falling water in the island, so he’d had difficulty with it. Calypso offered her shower, and to make new clothes, because apparently- Leo stunk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She led him to a little outhouse shower, and when he had come out, there were new clothes waiting for him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo felt a little bad that she was being so nice to him and he hadn’t done anything nice back. And because they didn’t spend every second of the day together (they were spending more time together now, yes, not not all the time), he decided to go around her island and fix anything he came across that was broken. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The fountain that wasn’t spewing water right. The curtains across the cave that weren’t level. Sharpening her unsharpened garden tools. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso showed no sign that she had noticed, but he was sure she did. They sat on the beach and talked. Leo talked about his foster homes and mom, his new friends at Camp Half-Blood and on the Argo II. How he missed them all, even that dumb cat and the Coach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have someone important to you on that ship, huh?” Said Calypso.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo didn’t quite understand her phrasing. “I… everyone on that ship is important to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” said Calypso. “Usually when heroes come to my island, they can’t stay for two reasons. They have a terribly important quest to get back to, and a terribly important person to get back to. Like a girlfriend.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo raised an eyebrow at her. “Lady, I don’t know what made you think I’ve got a girlfriend, but I’m afraid you’re sorely mistaken.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso rolled her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She talked about herself, too. Supposedly, at the end of the second war, Percy had made the gods promise to release her from her prison, but it had never happened. She had had her heart broken so many times before, she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to learn to love again, especially when the gods weaponized her love to make her miserable, to punish her. All she wanted was to get away from it, to get a break. Also, the clothes she made him were fireproof.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The mini model was a success, and Leo and Calypso were ready to start the big one. They spent all day carving and measuring and hammering things together. When sundown came, they were barely done.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next several days were a blur of activity as they pieced things together. Before he knew it, Calypso was helping him pack things for his trip. He had specifically requested a tiny cloth of her flame proof cotton and a crystal. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If Calypso thought that request was weird, she didn’t say anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thing was almost done, and the two of them sat on the beach, eating fruit from her garden.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I gotta say, I didn’t think I’d get so attached to peaches.” Said Leo. “I’m definitely going to have to bring some of these bad boys with me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso’s face fell. “Hey, what’s wrong?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She opened her mouth to answer when something appeared on the shore line. A little raft.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cal seemed just as shocked as he was. Leo stood up and walked over to it. “I don’t…” he scratched his head, uncomfortable. “Did you fall in love with me?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” she responded easily. “I don’t understand- I don’t know what happened. I was just sitting there, realizing I had finally made a friend and I didn’t want you to leave.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She clapped her hands over her mouth as if having a realization. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The curse was never about falling in love.” She said. “It was about loneliness. The raft comes when I finally am weak enough to want someone to stay. I don’t have to be in love with you for that to happen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo’s eyes widened and his heart ached for this poor girl. How could he leave now? Calypso walked up the beach to where they had put all of his belongings in a bag (which fortunately and conveniently they had brought to the beach with them. She shoved it into his hands. “The magic here is unstable. You should leave while you still can.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Leo, you have a world to save.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hugged her tight. “I’m going to find a way to find you again.” He promised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t say that.” She said. “No man can ever find the island twice, that’s the rule.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, nothing else has worked how it’s supposed to for me, who knows.” Leo pulled away- they were both crying. “I promise, I’m going to try my best.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso didn’t look at all convinced. “Go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So he walked to the raft and sat on it, and watched the island fade from view.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 404</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 424</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason woke up somewhere along the northern coast of Africa after the ice bomb went off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ship had been in shambles and they were one crew member down. When Piper explained what had happened to Leo, Jason had to resist his immediate panic. If he panicked then everyone would panic and nothing would get done. So he took the reins and told everyone that everything would be fine; even though he was lying through his teeth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They might have been on a beach, but it was the driest beach he had ever been on. They couldn’t get the ship moving, it had too many holes- it would sink in the water. And they needed Leo if they wanted to fix it. He was the only one who knew how the ship worked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason asked his head for a plan- trying not to get lost in despair- trying not to think about what might have happened to Leo- when the wind spirits showed up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The southern venti had appeared in gusts of hot air. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello travelers.” Said one of the venti. “What are you doing on our shore?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Your </span>
  </em>
  <span>shore?” Frank asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The venti laughed amongst themselves. “Yes, you are in the domain of the god Nortus. Sometimes known as Auster. God of the southern wind. His castle is just up ahead.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason turned back to his friends. “A god could probably put our ship back together.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They nodded, like they had all been thinking it. And that’s how they ended up being carried by twelve wind spirits to a giant limestone castle- ship and all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The venti led them up stairs and through hallways to their king, so they could have an audience.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They arrived in the throne room, and the god had been sitting on a large, limestone throne. The room had been seethingly hot, but Jason pressed on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My lord,” said one of the venti, “we bring to you travelers, who seek an audience with you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The venti parted, making room for the crew to speak. Jason stepped forward. “My lord, we seek your help.” He began. “We’re on a quest to save the world and stop Gaea from raising… but our ship has been very damaged and our friend who knows how to fix it has gone missing. Can you please help us find him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The god narrowed his eyes at them. His skin was golden tan and his eyes were firmly gold. His unruly red beard and long hair fell past his shoulders as he studied them. “Which among you is in charge?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You mean, like, our leader?” Frank asked. “That’s easy- Jason.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jason.” Hazel agreed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Coach Hedge nodded, Piper patted him on the shoulder, and Nico stayed silent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t do things for free, demigod.” Said the king. “To find this friend of yours, it would be a difficult task. You will need to prove you are worth the effort.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” said Jason. “Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For whatever reason, the god didn’t seem to like that answer. He turned to the Venti, “Take the others outside, by the ship.” Then he talked to the crew. “Your leader will prove to me that you are worthy, in your name. If he succeeds, then I’ll help you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” said Jason. “You won’t regret it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper squeezed him tight. Ever since Jason and Nico’s quest to the Doclacian’s palace, things seemed to be much easier between him and Piper- like the only thing that was awkward between them was that Jason didn’t know what he was feeling. “Are you sure you want to do this?” She asked. “You don’t have to do it alone. You could negotiate terms, you don’t have to do everything he says, you can say ‘no’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They pulled apart. “I’ll be fine. I can do this.” He assured her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His friends were taken away, and Jason faced the god alone. “What do you need me to do?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nortus gave him a near impossible task. He wanted Jason to visit every single room in the castle in under a minute. Jason didn’t back down, he used the winds to push him faster, but the winds in the out southern African heat was unbearable and sluggish, and Jason hadn’t been able to do it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nortus lashed out at him- his Roman and Greek sides fighting, giving him a headache. “Venti- take him to a guest room. We will try again tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tomorrow?” Said Jason. “I can go right now!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do not have the patience right now!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about my friends? Can they come inside, too?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have accepted the challenge, not them. Unless you want to give up?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason thought about it, and he didn’t like his crew’s chances of getting out of here and finding Leo without a god’s help. “No.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was carted off to his roof. The roof over his head did no help against the heat, the bed and walls were all made of limestone and it was nearly impossible to sleep on, but he’d do it if it meant he would save his crewmates. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason would get Leo back, whatever it took.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next morning, he was called back into the throne room. He assumed his friends had been informed about the changes in the plan, because they hadn’t come to rescue him. Jason didn’t like it, but his whole life he had been playing by others rules, and it had worked for him. He had survived. He just had to keep doing what the god said, and he’d get them out of here. No matter how unfair and difficult it seemed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The god appeared in his Roman form the next day, Auster. He said he had prepared a test for him. There was a decorated shield and a pretty painted vase on the floor. The god told him to pick whichever one he wanted more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was odd phrasing, but whatever would get him out of here. Jason agonized over the choice for half an hour; he had to get this right. Jason personally thought the shield was pretty, but it wasn’t a practical use shield- it was for decoration. Besides, the shield was clearly of Greek origin and the vase was Roman. The god was in his Roman form today, so he must want Jason to pick the vase.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But when he did, an angry venti emerged and tried to kill him. Auster watched intently, waiting to see what Jason would do. So naturally, Jason killed it. The god hadn’t been pleased, and sent Jason back to his room with the promise that they’d try again tomorrow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next several days passed like that. One god or the other would give him a test. Nortus had a short temper and gave him tests of strength, and every test he gave seemed more impossible than the last- as if testing Jason’s patience rather than his actual strength. Auster’s tests were confusing. Most of them were tests of the mind, like puzzle solving or strange battles or choosing- most of his tests involved choosing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One that he particularly didn’t understand- Auster had told him to slay a peaceful venti. Jason did really want to, but if it was going to get his friends out of here and find Leo, then he would do it. He killed it easily, and the god said he had failed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Why? He had done exactly as told. Jason didn’t understand Auster’s tests, and Nortus’s tests were impossible to pass.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The days were scorching and the nights weren’t much better. Jason could see his friends from the balcony from his window, but he couldn’t talk to them- it was too far away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The (remaining) crew had started on physical repairs on the ship- like repairing the oars and fixing dents. But the more complicated parts of the ship they couldn't fix without Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo. Jason was constantly thinking about him, where he could be, if he was okay. The not knowing was probably the worst part. Jason wouldn’t even know what he’d do with himself if something bad happened to him. And the only thing standing in between him and being saved was Jason’s inability to pass the wind god’s tests. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only good part of this- if you could call it that- was that Jason had familiarized himself with the idea that he did, in fact, have feelings for Leo. It made the most sense. At least he had a name to go with the weird feeling in his gut. Yippee. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anyway, Jason had also familiarized himself with the god’s house rules. You couldn’t leave his dock without his permission once accepting his hospitality. And since Jason wasn’t getting that until he passed the god’s tests, he was kinda trapped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Jason was totally handing it- he wasn’t stressed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Except he totally was. He couldn’t help but think this was why he didn’t like being the leader. He couldn’t handle situations like this. And he didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> to. But since when has what he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted </span>
  </em>
  <span>been important to anyone?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was doing this for the team, it didn’t matter what he wanted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason hoped he was handing the stress gracefully (ha), but based on the reaction Nico gave him, he most definitely was not. Nico was the only one who would visit him, being able to shadow travel straight to his room. Their conversations usually followed the same format;</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason would explain how his current situation was stressing him out. Nico would tell him to ask the wind god to change the rules, or ask exactly what was expected of him. Jason would say that he can’t just ask a god to change the rules for him, and he had already asked the god what he wanted with him and that had only made him upset.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then Nico would get short tempered and remind Jason that the entire crew is relying on him to get them out of here, and tell him to try to trick the gods somehow, lie or cheat or </span>
  <em>
    <span>something. </span>
  </em>
  <span>This would stress Jason out even more, and he would yell back that he didn’t know how to do that, when he didn’t even know what the god wanted from him. Then they would usually yell at each other for a few minutes and Nico would shadow travel out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He would show up the next day and the two of them would act like nothing bad had happened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason usually took pride in pushing petty and unnecessary emotions aside to focus on the big picture- but he figured the heat and the stress was bringing the worst out in both of them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At least Jason was handling things better than the wind god himself. Jason already knew that war between the Greeks and the Romans was making the gods unstable, their own Greek and Roman sides at war with one another. But now Jason was seeing just how scatterbrained and unstable one of these gods were up close. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The god seemed to forget Jason and his crew were here unless he was going through a test. Sometimes he would switch right between tests and change his mind about something, making it endlessly more complicated. The god seemed to forget Jason was campaigning for his help, he kept calling him in later and later, taking less interest in his ship and his friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason stood on the balcony and looked down at his friends. They seemed to be taking a lunch break on deck. The desert heat made working outside difficult, and Jason was proud of his friends for pulling through anyway. The dessert was also making everyone sweaty and tan. Even Jason’s skin was a shade darker. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room got a sudden chill. After a whole week of Nico shadow traveling into his room, Jason had gotten used to the feeling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason walked away from the balcony. Nico’s olive skin had gotten darker in the sun, too. He looked much more alive, his eyes and face were fuller, and he was finally filling his clothes. He held out an ambrosia square to him. “For your blisters.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>During his last visit with the god, he had burnt blisters into his hands trying to wrangle biting hot venti. Jason took it graciously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sat down on his “bed” and watched healed skin grow over his hands. “How are the others doing?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Same.” Said Nico. “Tired, sweaty.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ambrosia never tasted the same for Jason, but today it tasted like tofu tacos, and Jason tried not to think of Leo, he was already stressed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about you?” Nico asked. “You have a battle plan for today?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason shook his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You need to approach this from another angle, get him to agree- and soon.” Said Nico. “I can sense that Percy and Annabeth are close to the doors, we need to hurry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No offense Nico, but I am hurrying.” Said Jason. “I’ve </span>
  <em>
    <span>been </span>
  </em>
  <span>hurrying. I’ve done my absolute best to do exactly what the wind god wants me to do to the absolute best of my ability.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, maybe that’s what you’re doing wrong.” Nico suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t even make any sense!” Said Jason. “You want me to not do what he tells me to do?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know! It was an idea!” Said Nico.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well it wasn’t a very good one.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico sighed and put his sword back in his scabbard. “Why do you hate me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t hate you,” says Jason, “I just don’t understand why someone would ask me to do something, and then expect me to do the opposite.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes, people are confusing.” Said Nico.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are we still talking about the wind god?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Probably not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason sighed. “You need to go see a therapist or something.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you stop saying that?” Nico accused. “You sound like a broken record.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t even know what a record </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t even know what a record is?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my gods.” Nico put an awkward hand on the hilt of his sword. “Well if I need to see a therapist, then so do you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have </span>
  <em>
    <span>no </span>
  </em>
  <span>idea what you’re talking about.” Jason reported.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A god had to tell you you liked someone because you repress all of your emotions and you can’t recognize romantic feelings when you have them.” Nico pointed out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You dirty hypocrite- you do that exact same thing!” Jason shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not to the level that you do, apparently.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason ran a hand through his hair. “I feel like we’ve gotten off track here.” He said. “People are confusing, yes. But that doesn’t mean you should just give up on them, Nico.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico stared at him like he had been slapped. “I’m not giving up on anything. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m </span>
  </em>
  <span>the one who people have given up on. Not the other way around.” He took a deep breath, suddenly deathly serious. “I’m going to honor my promise. I’ll take you to Epirus. I’ll help you close the Doors of Death. Then that’s it. I’m leaving both camps. Forever.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Behind them, the door blasted open with a gust of scorching air.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A disembodied voice said; </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lord Auster will see you now.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason shivered despite the warmth. Still disturbed by Nico’s comment earlier, Jason turned to face him. They had fought before, yes, but not in a way that felt serious or intentionally malicious. When Nico had talked about leaving, he sounded </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>serious. But when he turned around, Nico had disappeared, meeting back into the darkness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason didn’t really need someone to lead him down the halls anymore, he had memorized them in his time here. The venti threw the doors open and Lord Auster was sitting tall on his throne, his white, shaggy hair was its usual mess and his sand colored yoga was straightened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So,” he began. “The son of Jupiter returns.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason bit down the urge to remind him that Jason spent all his time waiting for </span>
  <em>
    <span>him </span>
  </em>
  <span>to call him in here, not the other way around. But he bowed low instead. “My Lord,” he addressed, “have you received any news of my friend?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Friend?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Leo Valdez,” Jason reminded, forcing himself to stay patient. “Son of Hephaestus. He was taken by the winds.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yes! The son of Hephaestus.” Said Lord Auster. “No, no word of him. He wasn’t taken by my winds, this must be the work of Bordeas.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Lord Auster, we knew that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, right, that is why you come to me for help.” Auster reminded himself. “Why am I helping you again?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason resisted a sigh. “You wish to oppose Bordeas. We can help you do that if you get our friend back. When Leo is back, he can help us fix our ship, and we can get it out of your harbor.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right! Ship in the harbor!” Said Auster. “You know, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>last </span>
  </em>
  <span>time mortal shops came to my harbor? A king of Libya… Psyollos. He blamed </span>
  <em>
    <span>me </span>
  </em>
  <span>for sending scorching winds that burned his crops. Can you believe that? The nerve.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason clenched his fists, he reminded himself that Auster can’t be rushed. In his Roman, rainy form, he was sluggish and warm and random. Even without the instability caused by the Greek and Roman sides warring, Auster was all over the place. “And did you burn his crops, my lord?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, of course!” Said Auster. “But honestly, what did he expect? He planted those crops at the edge of the Sahara. That fool launched his entire fleet after me. He intended to destroy my stronghold so the south wind could never blow again.” He sighed wistfully. “I destroyed his fleet, of course.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Auster narrowed his eyes at Jason. “You’re not with Psyollos, are you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, Lord Auster.” Jason reminded him. “I’m Jason Grace, son of-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jupiter! Yes, of course. I like sons of Jupiter. But why are you still in my harbor?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We don’t have your permission to leave. Also, even if we did, our engine is damaged and our mechanic, Leo Valdez, the only one who can fix it, is missing. Also also, we have been hit way off course by Bordeas, the north wind. We were hoping you could knock us back on course. Because surely, if the north winds were strong enough to throw us all the way here, you would be able to at least put us back? You know, to get back at Bordeas.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right!” Said Auster. “Now the question is, are you worth the help?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right.” Said Jason. “Which is why we are still in your harbor, you haven’t decided.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And why haven’t I done that?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know.” Said Jason, clenching his jaw. “You have given me test after test, trying to prove me worthy. I have done everything you have asked of me, gone above and beyond, yet I have not impressed you. If anything, I think I have at least proved my diligence.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” Auster disagreed, “you have proven your ability to do exactly what I ask you to do. If anything, you have proven that you do as told, like a loyal soldier following his leader. Even when his orders are impossible or make no sense, you have proven you are a soldier who does as told, without asking questions. Even when you don’t want to do them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t.. I don’t. Understand.” said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am the god of the south wind.” Said Auster, his voice hard. “Do you know what the winds are, Jason? They are freedom, they roam free in the skies. They take orders from no one, they live as they choose, they change direction for no other reason other than they want to. The winds don’t ask permission to be free, they aren’t looking for anyone's approval. You are a son of Jupiter, you control the winds. You should know that the winds are difficult to tame, because they are intangible. They can’t be controlled by someone who does not understand that they must be free.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I…” Jason faltered. He wished the god would stop talking in metaphors. Was he talking in metaphors? Jason understood that the wind is a wild thing. Jason has always had difficulty controlling it, because it doesn’t follow directions or orders when given like Lightning does. But what did that have to do with proving himself worthy of Auster’s help?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will give you one final test.” Said Auster. “Should you pass, I’ll help you. If you fail, you are on your own.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” Said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The god stood up from his throne and looked over Jason. “For your final test, you will fight me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fight you?!” Jason asked. He stepped back in fear as the venti flew around the room in excitement, happy to see their master in a fight. Jason didn’t want to fight a god, he barely had the energy left to do much of anything. How on earth was he going to beat a god?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you say?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The venti whirled around, growing hot with excitement. The fast moving steaming air made it hard for Jason to focus.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It was night and the moon was waxing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How old was Jason? Five? Six? It didn’t matter much to him. His shirt had been torn to shreds so he took it off. His whole body was caked in mud, but he didn’t care. His hair and eyes were wild and so was he.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Lupa walked past where he was playing in the dirt. She flicked her ears toward the camp entrance and flexed her claws. That meant the pack was going out for a hunt. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jason didn’t need to hunt. There were invisible spirits that brought human food from human places for him and the other humans. But Jason liked coming along anyway. As long as he could keep up, and didn’t mess things up for him, and didn’t get in the way, he was welcome to. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>There weren’t many people telling him what to do and what not to do. He could come and go as he pleased. He could roam the woods for a long as he wanted. And if he got lost? Who cares! That’s the fun of it. He could get himself unlost. And wouldn’t that be an adventure?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He followed Lupa out of camp. He wasn’t worried about the hunt. If he tripped or made noise or scared the prey away, the wolves would nip at his ears at best and send him to a timeout at worse, and then it would be forgotten. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The pack ran together as one unit. Maybe Jason wasn’t a wolf and he didn’t run on four legs, but he was a part of the unit. And yet, he was entirely himself. He loved the adrenaline that came with sprinting through the forest. If he tripped, he would just get up and keep running. He hollered into the wind, laughing. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This was freedom. This was life. Jason was the wind- erratic and intangible and free. The wind whistled in Jason’s ears.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The winds whistled in Jason’s ears as he clapped his hands over them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Where had that memory come from? Jason hadn’t thought about Lupa and the pack in… forever. He had grown up there, yet, when he thought of his childhood, he thought of Camp Jupiter. The pack had been so long ago. He barely remembered it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason tried to remember the last time he had felt that free, and came up with nothing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh my gods, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought, </span>
  <em>
    <span>What have I become?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason had been free, like the wind, once. Then he had come to Camp Jupiter, and all of his wild , all his free spirit, all of his individuality had been washed away. He had cut his hair, worn Praetor robes. He had succumbed to the pressure of everyone’s expectations, become what everyone wanted him to be. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason had unlearned all of his mannerisms that he had learned from the wolves because people thought he was weird. He had forgotten what the pack had taught him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pack taught strength and unity and fighting prowess, yes, but it also taught individuality and freedom. Jason had completely forgotten. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>During his time at Camp Jupiter, Jason had lost his sense of Wild, Freedom, Individuality, to become the soldier, Praetor, that the camp wanted him to be. But what did Jason want?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason wanted to be himself, whoever that was. He wanted to be free again, like the winds. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He certainly didn’t want to fight a god.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.” Said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Auster raised an eyebrow. “No?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.” Jason confirmed. “I’m not going to fight you. I don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>to fight you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The wind god smiled. “Okay, then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was that what he had been trying to do? Trying to get Jason to snap? To say no?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nortus had been giving Jason impossible, grueling tasks. Any sane person would have said no, that they couldn’t do something like that. They would have asked for another task. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Nortus had told Jason to run to every room in under a minute, Jason knew he couldn’t do it. He had tried anyway. He knew he could do it, he knew he would fail, and most importantly, he hadn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted</span>
  </em>
  <span> to do it. Maybe Nortus had wanted Jason to verbalize those thoughts. He had wanted Jason to just say </span>
  <em>
    <span>no.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Auster’s tasks had seemed confusing at first. He gave Jason two objects to choose from. Jason chose the vase because it was what he thought Auster wanted him to want. Maybe Auster had wanted him to choose what </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jason </span>
  </em>
  <span>wanted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe Auster hadn’t wanted him to kill that innocent wind spirit, may he wanted Jason to realize that he is allowed to say no. That he’s allowed to not do something when he doesn’t want to. That he’s allowed to want things.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Jason wasn’t looking for the wind god’s approval anymore. He was going to take what he wanted- no more waiting around, no more blindly following everyone else’s rules.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good!” Said Auster. “And?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We need a way to fix our ship. Can you…?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Auster shook his head, still grinning. “Still expecting me to tell you what to do? You are a son of Jupiter! You make the rules, you do not follow them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason stood tall, “We’re leaving Lord Auster. Today.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The wind god spread his hands, and gave a loud belly laugh. “Ha! At last! You have my permission to go- not that you ever needed it. How will you sail without your engineer? Without your engine fixed?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The south winds zipped around him with excitement, happy their lord was happy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re going to help us.” Jason announced. “Your venti can take the form of horses, just like the north wind’s can. You will lend us a team of them, and they will lead us to where Leo is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ha! Excellent!” Said the god. “But the winds are wild spirits, I do not command them, and neither do you. How will you get them to help?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason reached out to the venti all around him. He could feel their excitement. They already </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted </span>
  </em>
  <span>to help. He didn’t need to use his raw power to keep them in line. He just had to explain what he wanted them to do. Push them in the right direction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason was a lot like these wind spirits. He was wild and free. He had his own wants, his own goals. Camp Jupiter was a military first- they had used their raw power to get him in line- to for him to be what they wanted him to be- to mold him into their leader. But it had ruined him. He wasn’t free anymore, he wasn’t wild. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Camp Half-Blood and Lupa’s pack knew what Jason wanted. They had pushed him along a path to help him succeed where he wanted to. That’s what he needed. That's how you were </span>
  <em>
    <span>supposed </span>
  </em>
  <span>to treat wind spirits. You had to let them be free.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Soon, a team of horse venti raced around him, wild and eager to help. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked back at the god. Nortus started back down at him. His first red beard was in a huge grin. “Well done.” He said. “I knew you were one of us. You have chosen your own path, instead of following the path lain down for you. Now, go. Lash your team to the prow and direct them toward Malta.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Malta?” Jason asked. He knew nothing about Malta, except for some vague story about a Maltese falcon. Where malts invented there?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Once you arrive in the city of Valletta,” Nortus said, “you will no longer need the horses.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason's heart beat faster. “You mean… we’ll find Leo there?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The god shimmered, slowly fading into waves of heat. “Your destiny grows clearer, Jason Grace. When the choice comes again- storm or fire- remember me. And do not despair.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The doors of the throne room burst open. The horses, smelling freedom, bolted for the exit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 437</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start bottom of page 440</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, I’m fine. </span>
  <em>
    <span>We’re </span>
  </em>
  <span>fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason whipped away the sweat threat fell from his brow. “We are?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” said Piper. “Of course we are. We’re best friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason smiled, he felt any of that awkwardness between them leak away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now,” she said, “now do we get this ship to the docks?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 441</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 443</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo found his way to shore pretty soon after he had set out. He had arrived at a cool looking Oceanside cafe. Calypso said the raft would take him back to his friends, so Leo was sure they’d come eventually.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gods, what had happened to her was so unfair. Leo may not have known her for that long, but still. They were friends now. Leo would try to find some way to get her out of there. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo had ordered a coffee and was now sipping it quietly at a table. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There he is!” Said a shrill voice that was all too familiar. Leo turned around to see Piper running at him. Leo stood up to brace for impact. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait wait! I have coffee!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper either ignored him or didn’t care- she ran right into his arms and the coffee fell to the floor. “Oh my gods, we missed you so much!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo didn even have time to react before Hazel was hugging him from the side. “I’m so glad we found you!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, someone was crushing his ribs from the other side. “Oh my gods we were literally so lost without you- never leave us again!” Said Frank, sounding teary eyed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo felt someone gently rest their face in his hair- Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s not that Leo had never been missed before- of course he had. But this felt excessive- he didn’t know how to react.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Never disappear like that again, cupcake!” Said Coach Hedge from somewhere he couldn’t see. “You scared us half to death!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!” Said Frank. “We were stuck in Africa because the ship was wrecked and Jason couldn’t talk to people-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can talk to people.” Said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-And we couldn’t fix the ship because you weren’t here!” Frank finished.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The hug pulled apart. “Didn’t know you guys were so useless without a mechanic.”  Said Leo, awkwardly trying to ease his own tension.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s an understatement.” Said Piper. “If we hadn’t found you- we’d be stuck. The quest would be </span>
  <em>
    <span>over.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo could tell his friends were tanner- when had that happened?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But it’s more than just that.” Said Hazel. “We missed you as more than just our mechanic. We were so worried about you! And we were so tense all the time- we had no idea how much we relied on you to ease tension.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We missed you as a friend to hang out with.” Frank added. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason ruffled Leo’s hair. “We were worried about you.” He said, his voice raw with emotion. “What happened? Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo hoped his face wasn’t as red as it felt- but it probably was. “Okay.” He said. He had no idea his friends felt this way, that they cared about him so much. Leo had always felt like a seventh wheel, like he wasn’t as important or special or powerful as the other demigods. He had only been gone a week and the team had gotten stranded and fallen apart. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe Leo had only felt that way because Nemesis had planted seeds of doubts and insecurity in his head. Leo had always been pretty insecure. Not that he was about to tell everyone that. But maybe he had never been a seventh wheel. The crew seemed more worried about Leo’s one week away from the team than Percy and Annabeth in Tartarus. Maybe because they’d had a longer time to get to know Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo tried to think of the last time his friends had made him feel isolated, like a seventh wheel, and couldn’t come up with anything. Had it all really been in his head? Oof, he really heard Nemesis say it one time and his insecure little brain held onto it like a lifeline.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, I’m okay.” Leo reiterated. “I’m good. I got marooned on an island for a bit, but I’m good, now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well that’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>good.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Said Jason. He looked tired. Was </span>
  <em>
    <span>he </span>
  </em>
  <span>okay? Leo would have to ask later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His friends sat around his table, he then noticed Nico was here. Oh, poor dude. “So uh, what happened to you guys? Unclear about the Africa thing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll tell you what happened.” Said coach Hedge. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Piper</span>
  </em>
  <span> happened!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Coach!” Said Piper, flushing pink.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What did she do?” Leo asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Coach Hedge recounted Piper one woman fight against the bordeas.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It wasn’t all that.” Said Piper. “I couldn’t have done anything without Festus.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about Festus?” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you haven’t heard?” Said Jason. “Piper woke Festus up with her charmspeak. He’s alive now.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Piper is a very powerful magician.” Said Hazel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper flushed. Coach continued to explain what happened afterwards, and how and why they had been stuck at Nortus’s palace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, </span>
  <em>
    <span>what </span>
  </em>
  <span>happened to the Argo?” Leo looked out over the port, where he saw his ship. “Oh my gods! What did you </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>to it? My baby!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was wondering how long it would take you to notice.” Said Frank and honestly, Leo was surprised a bit, too. Normally, the Argo II was a top priority to him. But apparently, he had been more worried about his friend's safety. Huh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hazel took up the story, and soon enough, the crew was joking around and laughing like a bunch of normal teenagers. “It’s because you’re here,” said Jason. “It’s easier to be happy when you’re around.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was kind of crazy that his friends had missed him so much. Piper kept patting him on the arm to make sure he hadn’t vanished. Hazel kept saying “right, Leo?” at the end of every sentence to make sure he was still in the conversation, the others (except Nico. But they didn’t know one another that well, so Leo didn’t take it personally) kept smiling at him, just happy he was here. It was pretty surreal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In a good way, he decided. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A waitress came over and offered them menus. In no time- thanks to Leo’s toolbelt that sometimes gives money- they were chowing down on fast food.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” said Hazel, “what’s that?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She pointed to the horizon, and at first, Leo saw nothing but sea. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see anything.” Coach Hedge grumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Me neither,” said Piper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo was inclined to agree, but then he saw Jason’s face; he had seen it too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That can’t be,” Nico muttered, “Greece is still hundreds of miles away.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think it’s Epirus?” Jason asked, sounding spooked. Leo had no idea what they were talking about, but now seemed like a bad idea to mention that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Nico nodded. “The House of Hades is open for business. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo heard a rumbling round in the distance and shivered. “It’s begun,” said Hazel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What has?” Leo asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gaea's final push.” She explained. “The Doors of Death are working overtime. All her forces are entering the world.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll never make it.” Said Nico, leaning back in his chair, defeated. “By the time we even get there, they’ll be too many monsters to fight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason set his jaw, looking confident. “We’ll make it. We have Leo back now. We’ll make repairs and we’ll defeat them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason met Leo’s eye, and Leo nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Time to fly, half-bloods and goats!” Said Leo. “Uncle Leo’s still got a few tricks up his sleeve!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 448</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 475</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo figured the novelty of him being back on board the Argo II would fade in a few minutes, but it did not.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo was giving everyone orders on fixing the ship, and everyone was excited to help (except Nico, but Leo didn’t really count Nico). While Leo fixed up the engine room, the rest of the crew finished manual repairs on the exterior. And soon, they were ready to set sail.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With Festus completely operational (something Leo still didn’t understand), the ship could really book it. Especially with Jason above deck, helping the winds push them onward. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, everyone went below deck to get some sleep. Everyone except him and Jason, who had to keep the ship moving. Leo was more awake than he had ever been- excited to finally be reunited with his friends and his ship, but he saw Jason’s eyes dropping more than once.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually Jason caved and sat down with his back to the mast. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Headed in, Jay?” Leo asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” said Jason, “just taking a break. I’ll get back up in a minute.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo nodded disbelievingly, but went to sit with him anyway. “You sure you don’t want to head in? You look exhausted, dude.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason sighed. “Probably because I haven’t got a chance to rest since last week.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, about that,” said Leo, “I heard about everything that happened, and I know you were trying to convince the south wind god to help you find me and whatever, but I didn’t hear your version of the story. What happened in that palace that got him to let you borrow his wind spirits?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not until you tell me what happened to you!” Said Jason, jokingly. “How did you get off an island?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo scratched the back of his head. He hadn’t wanted to tell anyone the full story- it sounded pretty sad in his head, imagine how it sounded out loud. But it was easy to talk to Jason, so he did. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And then the raft came, so I left.” Leo finished.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason picked at his fingers. “But I thought you said the raft would only come if she fell in love with you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay but here’s the kicker,” said Leo, “as it turns out, that’s not it. The raft comes when Calypso doesn’t want someone to leave, when she gets attached. It just so happens that every times before this time, she had fallen in love,”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah.” Said Jason. “That must suck. I mean- making such a good friend and then having to leave her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo nodded. “Yeah, it does.” He agreed. “Especially because, apparently, ‘a man can never visit Ogygia twice’. But the astrobe thing Odysseus made- you remember, the one we got from the dwarves that didn’t work? Well, I figure that it’s supposed to lead someone back to the island. But it didn’t have a crystal, remember? So I got a crystal from the island. I think it’ll work now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s nice.” Said Jason. “So when this is all over, you’ll head out on a quest to find her?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s the plan.” Said Leo. “I’ll probably wait a bit- all that questing, I’ll probably need a bit to recover. I’m sure Cal won’t mind. But then I’ll hit the road. Maybe I’ll take the Argo. Maybe I’ll rebuild Festus. Yeah, that sounds like fun. Especially since he’s alive, now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason smiled at him. “Sounds like an adventure.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure does.” Said Leo. “But what about you? I wanna know what happened to you in that wind palace.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason took a deep breath and began to explain what had happened. He talked about the god and his Roman and Greek forms, how isolated he felt, his arguments with Nico (which felt very sibling like, in Leo’s opinion), how he finally managed to convince Auster to let him go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And the weird part was, I think Auster was trying to tell me something. Like, he’s the god of the winds. And the winds represent freedom. And I guess I… I don’t know. I'm a son of Jupiter, I command the winds, but I don’t really understand what it means to be free. I think Auster and Nortus wanted me to realize that. I think they might’ve shown me a memory of when I was younger, before I went to Camp Jupiter. Like, they were trying to show me that Camp Jupiter stifled my individuality, and that maybe, like, I should say ‘no’ when I don’t want to do something instead of doing as I’m told by my superiors?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, definitely.” Said Leo. “Saying yes to things you don’t want to do, even if you feel like you have to do them, isn’t healthy at it.” Leo patted his friend on the bicep. “But I’m glad </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> realized it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason laughed. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m serious!” Said Leo, “No, hey, I’m serious. I mean, that’s fairly obvious to me, but you had a weird childhood, so.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess that’s fair.” Said Jason. “Camp Jupiter is more of a military stronghold than a home. And I've never really been outside of it before now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, that’s right.” Said Leo, “Man. That’s so wild. Like, you’ve never been to a McDonalds before.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s a McDonalds?” Jason asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What a- you don’t know what a </span>
  <em>
    <span>McDonalds</span>
  </em>
  <span> is?” Jason shook his head. Leo gaped at him. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to fix that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason laughed. “Oh yeah? We’re going to take a quick pit stop at a McDonalds during our epic quest to save the world?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay.” Said Leo. “After our quest. We’ve gotta go to McDonalds. Oh- and Starbucks. That's a given. Maybe Chick-Fil-A. I’m on the fence with them. They’re homophobic.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right.” Said Jason, probably not knowing what Leo was talking about.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually, I’m not thinking big enough. Have you ever been to a playground as a kid? Oh man, you’ve probably never been to build-a-bear. Or shopping- you’ve never been shopping. Oh my gods. We could go to Disneyland. We could go to amusement parks. Have you ever been on a roller coaster? We could probably guilt Piper into getting us the money- it’s all coming together. There’s literally so many things you missed out on as a kid. We’ve gotta like, go backpacking or something after this is all over. You and me. You trying new things- me heckling you. It’ll be fun.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That’s when Leo noticed Jason staring at him. Not in a weird way- but in a soft way. Leo had never considered “Jason” and “soft” to be synonyms, but there he was, giving him the softest smile anyone ever had.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Leo asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” said Jason, shaking the look from his face. “I didn’t- you’d actually spend time… you’d do that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, that’s a dangerous question. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Leo thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What </span>
  </em>
  <span>wouldn’t</span>
  <em>
    <span> I do for you?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you want me to?” Leo asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo could hear the waves hitting the side of the ship, the sounds of seagulls cawing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d like that.” Said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were silent for a few seconds after that. Leo’s heart was beating fast and he didn’t know why. He felt like he had just stumbled upon something delicate, and he didn’t know what.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Before Khoine attacked the ship, uh, we didn’t get to talk about what Piper said.” Said Jason, breaking the silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo tried to remember that- it felt like forever ago. Something about the prophecy… the storm or fire line.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She was right, wasn’t she.” Said Jason. “You can feel it too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo’s throat felt dry. “Yeah.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo definitely didn’t want to die now, he had plans. He wanted to live his life. Leo was just now adjusting to the idea that he wasn’t a useless member of the team, he wanted to prove his value. But Jason… Jason had never had a chance to live his life. The idea that he could die without ever getting the opportunity to do it- never find out who he is- that wasn’t fair. And the even more sickening possibility that Leo might have to live in a world without Jason in it… no.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If one of them had to die… Leo couldn’t even think about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason's face fell. He had probably been thinking about this for a while. He could feel it in his bones that it was true. And the only hope he had was that maybe Leo didn’t feel the same. But Leo couldn’t lie to Jason, not even to make him feel better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Leo I…” Jason began. He gave the most pathetic laugh Leo had ever heard. “I really don’t want you to die.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I won’t,” he said. “I’m too smart for that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason finally met his eyes, his eyes almost looked like they pricked with tears. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Leo</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m being serious.” Said Leo. “I don’t care about what some prophecy says. It’s a million years old anyway- what does it know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason’s bitter smile wavered. Leo felt like he was on a presapse. Like he was on the edge of a cliff, about to step off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>us</span>
  </em>
  <span>. No prophecy gets to decide where we end up after this- we do.” Leo knew it was a bad idea, but he didn’t care. “The two of us are going to end up alive. Together. I swear it on the river styx.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason looked like he was trying not to react, but his breath hitched. And he smiled- a real one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s a horrible thing to promise.” He, his voice low.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Said Leo, his voice almost a whisper. “I think it sounds pretty ideal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason laughed, (how had Leo not realized how much he loved that sound?) and Leo realized their heads had been slowly inching closer. Jason’s face was only a breath away from his and for the briefest of moments, Leo thought they were going to kiss.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he wasn’t sure what to think about it. First he panicked, obviously. (His face was probably so red right now). But the second he actually thought about it, he realized that that was something he actually wanted to do. No- this was something he </span>
  <em>
    <span>absolutely</span>
  </em>
  <span> wanted to do. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He leaned forward, which was exactly when Festus spewed fire, alerting them to an Aerial attack of giant, cannibalistic birds. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.” He said under his breath. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Said Jason, not hearing him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing.” Leo stood up. “Let’s get rid of some monster birds so we can see another day.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 475</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On page 534, ignore where Hazel mentions who Leo “met”.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ignore Leo's joke on page 565 about Octavian. That feels insensitive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On page 569, ignore Percy commenting on how Frank had physically changed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 572</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Octavian,” Reyna growled. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>told </span>
  </em>
  <span>him to wait.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To be fair,” said Jason, “it was quite bold if you to assume Octavian would be patient. Or listen to you. Especially when an Augur’s top priority is listening to his patron, not-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-His Praetor.” Reyna finished for him. “Yes, I know. I’m aware. I’ve been told. I know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason gave a sad, somewhat bitter laugh. Percy wondered if this was some kind of inside joke they used to share. Maybe Octavian used to say that a lot, and the two of them poked fun at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s intent on war,” said Annabeth. “And he’ll have it, unless we stop him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re right.” Said Reyna. Then she looked apologetically to Jason. “And I don’t think we can reason with him anymore.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Jason just nodded. Percy wondered, not for the first time, if he and Octavian had been friends before all of this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper turned the blade of her knife.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 572</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 579</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason hadn't gotten a real opportunity to talk to Reyna since he lost his memory. He had been hoping for the chance when they had returned to Camp Jupiter, but obviously, things hadn’t gone great.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, a boat cat?” Percy was saying. “A cat on the boat!? You’re telling me, while fighting monsters and going on quests, you decided it would be a good idea to take in a pet?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We didn’t really decide that.” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have to meet Abeona, she's so cute- you’ll love her!” Said Hazel. Jason could tell she and Frank had missed him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The group stood up to move back to the boat. He noticed Reyna straying behind, looking over to where a Greek town could be seen over a hill.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey.” He said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey.” She responded. “You’re girlfriend’s going to be okay with you talking to me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Piper and I broke up.” Jason explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reyna’s eyes widened, like she was regretting opening her mouth. “I’m sorry, I didn’t-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” said Jason. “We’re good now. I think we work better as friends than as boyfriend and girlfriend, anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like us?” Said Reyna.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason beamed, thrilled Reyna still thought of him as a friend. “Yeah, like us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wanted to talk to you before all this happened.” Jason explained. “I guess I really didn’t get the chance to. It feels like a whole lifetime since our Praetor days at Camp Jupiter.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reyna nodded in agreement. “I wish things were simpler, like they were then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Me too.” Said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They stared off at the town for just a bit longer, as a calm ease washed over Jason. Jason knew he had hurt Reyna, even if it hadn’t been intentional, and he wasn’t sure how to make it up to her, yet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How have things been?” Jason asked. “At Camp Jupiter. Not too stressful, I hope.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reyna raised an eyebrow. “I already told you how Camp Jupiter was.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was true. They spent the whole picnic trading stories. Percy and Annabeth hadn’t talked much about Tartarus yet, but Jason had heard plenty about Camp Jupiter from Reyna. Her struggle to keep the second Praetor spot open, how her and Octavian went from friendly rivals (friends who weren’t really friends) to full on political enemies- opposing one another in every senate meeting when they tried to talk about the Greeks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but I want to hear about you. How have you been?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reyna seemed surprised at the question. Probably because Jason had just recently learned the importance of the individual. “Sorry to disappoint you, but uh, stressed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two shared a laugh, almost like old times. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A Praetor’s job isn’t meant for one person. It's been tough.” Reyna sighed. “I know it isn’t your fault- and I don’t blame you. This is situational. But it’s been a lot of responsibility for one person. And I missed my friend.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wish I had been there.” Said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad you weren’t.” Said Reyna, much to Jason’s confusion. “You seem… different. A good different. Like, you seem more alive. More self realized. More… mentally healthy? If that makes sense? It suits you well. So yes it was lonely, but I’m good in the Praetor position, so were you. But I wanted to be there- it was what I had worked for. But you… you never wanted that, huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason shook his head. “I pretty recently found out that I have a hard time saying ‘no’ to people when they want something from me, because Camp Jupiter has kind of conditioned me to believe that I have to give up my individuality to become whatever is asked of me- to mold myself into what they want from me- because they’re my home and I owe it to them to lead them or save them or whatever it is they wanted from me. So when they asked me to become Praetor, I didn’t say no because I didn’t know how to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s very emotionally smart of you.” Said Reyna. “I’m pleasantly surprised. Hopefully not all of New Rome was that bad.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not at all,” Jason said easily. “I had at least two good friends, I had lots of adventures, there were giant eagles and unicorns, and I learned all of the essentials to survive as a demigod.” Jason cleared his throat, looking off in the distance. “But uh, about that ‘saying no’ thing, I mean to tell you, I’m so sorry. I should have-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know.” Said Reyna, with finality. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason flinched. He knew Reyna would still be somewhat sore about that, but the fact that she didn’t even want to talk about it… Jason felt like a spear had run through his gut. How badly had he messed up their friendship because he couldn’t be honest with her? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m assuming that’s why you gave up your Praetor position to Frank?” Said Reyna. “A bold move, but I respect him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In all honesty, making Frank Praetor in his place had been a completely impulsive move. For one, it had been a very stressful situation and he had reacted accordingly. For two, it seemed perfectly logical at the time. The idea had popped into his head, he knew there was no other option. Frank said the ghosts wouldn’t listen to him because he wasn’t a high enough rank, Nico said to promote him, so he did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t until the words were stuck in his throat did he realize what saying them meant. Everything that the legion wanted for him- Karlo, Jenna, even Reyna, he’d be throwing it out. Being Praetor had been the end goal for him for so long, he didn’t realize he had other end goals now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wanted to experience things. Wanted to do and learn about stuff with Leo. He wanted to survive and build a new identity. And he wasn’t going back to being Praetor. He didn’t want to. And since Jason was now listening to his wants (he was going to have to work in that mindset), it was easier to do. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn’t make him less terrified. Because he had been shaking. None of his friends had noticed though, he was good at covering that up anyway. The second he got it out of his mouth and Frank led the army, he felt the most enormous amount of relief wash over him. So enormous, Jason almost felt guilty about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I did it because I had to.” Jason said. “But I think I made the right choice. Frank’s come a long way, he’s going to make an amazing leader. Assuming we survive all this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reyna snorted. “Yes, assuming.” She pushed a lick of hair out of her face as the breeze pushed by. “And assuming we can get Octavian to step down, of course.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason sighed. “I know you don’t like him, but seriously- you don’t even feel a little bit bad? What happened to him really should never have happened to anyone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suppose what happened to his father was a tragedy, but it doesn’t excuse-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened to his dad?” Said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reyna’s eyes widened. “His dad- what were </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> talking about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Reyna, what happened to his dad?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh he…” Reyna began, “He passed away. While you were gone. The first time. It was in his sleep, so I don’t think he was in any pain or anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason covered his mouth with his hand. Octavian’s father and him and never got along. All Octavian wanted to do was please him, and all his father did was yell and shut him down. One of the many the reasons Octavian wanted to become Praetor was because his father didn’t believe he could do it. His father never thought Octavian would amount to anything because he wasn’t a fighter. And in his eyes, that made him useless. He had been a mentor to Karlo, and was constantly dumping Octavian on him to babysit as a child because his father couldn’t be bothered. In truth, Jason thought Octavian’s father never mourned his late wife correctly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even so, Octavian had thought his father was amazing. All he ever wanted was to impress him. Now he’d never get to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I had no idea.” Said Jason. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What else happened to him?” Reyna asked. “I knew I didn’t have the full picture.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason explained what he saw in his dream about Karlo and Gaea.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He wouldn’t believe any of us if we told him.” Reyna realized. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt sorry for him before.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason crossed his arms and looked out to the horizon. The sun was almost setting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But enough about this depressing stuff. What have you been up to?” Reyna asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lots of almost dying.” Jason explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“From the beginning.” Reyna elaborated. “I know I heard it from the banquet back at New Rome, but I want to hear it </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> in speech form.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason chucked. “Well, the first thing I remember was waking up on a school bus…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 579</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Two Olympian dieties, literal gods: bitch you live like this??</p><p>Jason:</p><p>Anyway. I hope you’re enjoying reading this because I’m hella enjoying writing it. Next chapter is going to be a Lot of pining, stay tuned</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Blood of Olympus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This ain’t the end, we still got the trials of apollo! Don’t worry</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>On page 4, ignore Jason mentioning dating Piper.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Ignore Jason calling Piper his girlfriend on page 16</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 68</p><p> </p><p>Mike shifted his considerable bulk. “You sound certain. Has your gift of prophecy shown you anything new?”</p><p> </p><p>Octavian sighed, leaning back on his chair. He looked suddenly exhausted. Like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Reyna felt guilt, she should have known something was up with him before leaving. Octavian had always been… difficult… but these days, he was snippy and flinched more often and was more confrontational. He had something to prove, and an angry goddess in his head pushing him to prove it. </p><p> </p><p>“Nothing besides the ordinary.” Said Octavian. “Apollo wants me to attack as soon as possible. He wants it so badly, he wishes us to abandon traditional Roman battle procedure. Of course, many of the gods are incapacitated right now, and we will follow the procedure. But we’ll have to do it as quickly as possible. I won’t allow my visions to come true.”</p><p> </p><p>Reyna almost rolled her eyes- of course Octavian would stick to the whole procedure. He was such a stickler for rules. She almost wanted to poke fun of him like she did when they were thirteen.</p><p> </p><p>Octavian smiled once more. “Besides, Apollo promised I’d be the savior of the Romans. And don’t you believe your lord?”</p><p> </p><p>Mike nodded. “Of course.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good.” Said Octavian. “Now, go check on those two dwarves you captured.</p><p> </p><p>End page 69</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 71</p><p> </p><p>She couldn’t decide what was more terrifying- the impending destruction of New Rome, or how Gaea was manipulating Octavian and poisoning the legion from the inside.</p><p> </p><p>End page 71</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start Page 73 </p><p> </p><p>Reyna shared his concern. In only eleven days, the giants planned to wake Gaea. Octavian planned to attack Camp Half-Blood on the same day. That couldn’t be a coincidence. Gaea must have planned it that way.</p><p> </p><p>She finished her meal…</p><p> </p><p>End page 73</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 85</p><p> </p><p>The first thing Jason felt was the pain in his gut. The wound made him so woozy, it took him a couple seconds to remember how he got it. </p><p> </p><p>Right. His mom. </p><p> </p><p>Jason was only half awake, the pain made it hard for him to remember his Camp Jupiter training on how to wake up fast. But Jason assumed there wasn’t a rush. His friends had probably gotten him back to the Argo just fine.</p><p> </p><p>The second thing he felt was warm hands on his face. Someone was tracing the outlines of his face, nose, chin, jawline, closed eyes, lightly with four fingers. It didn’t feel invasive, it felt… nice?</p><p> </p><p>It felt like someone cared about him. Jason's eyes managed to open halfway, and his vision was groggy and it took him a minute to focus, but he managed. He saw the fuzzy outline of Leo Valdez, who wasn’t even looking at him. He was looking out the door, as if waiting for something. He was just tracing his features soothingly, like he didn’t even realize he was doing it.</p><p> </p><p>Jason felt his eyes close again. The pain from his gut seemed to fade into background noise. Like it didn’t even matter. His hands were warm, and it made his thoughts fuzzy, it was hard to think.</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t know why he was having this kind of reaction to it, it was just physical contact. It wasn’t like he’d never had it before. </p><p> </p><p>Actually.</p><p> </p><p>Jason racked his brain, trying to remember the last time someone touched him, the last time he was held. Probably because it was on his mind, he thought back to Beryl hugging him tight before leaving him forever. Yikes.</p><p> </p><p>But thinking logically, Thalia. Thalia probably held him as a child. Wolves weren’t big on physical contact, and Romans considered it a weakness. The closest he could think of was when he would braid Reyna’s hair and they would help each other with their Praetor armour. </p><p> </p><p>But in earnest, he couldn’t remember the last time he was held or touched like he was loved.</p><p> </p><p>It was stupid, but tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Jason peeled his eyes open, finally really awake. Leo turned back to him, and pulled his hands back. Jason missed the warmth almost immediately. “Hey, you’re up!”</p><p> </p><p>“That I am.”</p><p> </p><p>“Does it hurt?” Leo asked.</p><p> </p><p>It took Jason a second to realize that Leo’s talking about his stab wound. The stab wound. From when he was stabbed. That wound.</p><p> </p><p>Jason attempted to sit up and cringed. </p><p> </p><p>“Well that answers that,” said Leo, reaching out to help him sit. “Doing okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“As well as I can be, I guess.” Said Jason. </p><p> </p><p>A small part of him wanted Leo to go back to doing whatever he had been doing before. But that was ridiculous. He couldn’t say that <em> out loud. </em>He was acting like he had been starved of human contact. Like, he was starved of touch. Like he was… touch starved or something. Which was dumb. </p><p> </p><p>“What happened?” </p><p> </p><p>“You passed out and I had to drive the Argo all the way over to that island to save your butt. You’re welcome.” Said Leo</p><p> </p><p>Jason laughed, “I appreciate it.”</p><p> </p><p>“I heard about what happened on that island- with your mom.” Leo began delicately, which wasn’t something Jason saw him do often.  “Wanna talk about it?”</p><p> </p><p>Jason’s chest filled with dread. He hadn’t really had the chance to think about it since it happened. He supposed that was the best closure he was ever going to get with her. She was a spirit of madness, a <em> mania </em>. Jason didn’t remember her much, but seeing her again had made him feel so small. He wondered how the spirits knew that that would happen. That's why they had gotten Beryl, to target him specifically. </p><p> </p><p>He wanted nothing to do with her. She wasn’t a good person, Jason knew that now. He wasn’t ever really sure if she loved him at all. He barely even <em> knew </em> her. But seeing her again… it made him realize how much he missed the idea of having a family. Jason had never really had anything like that before. That was why he loved the idea of Thalia so much. But Beryl wasn’t home, she never was.</p><p> </p><p>The day his mother had left him had shaped him in a lot of ways. It probably gave him a lot of issues, mostly. He never ran away from responsibility because Beryl had been responsible for him and she had left him behind. He hadn’t really realized it until now, he didn’t think of his mother often. Maybe now that he had faced her, moving forward would be easier. </p><p> </p><p>It certainly didn’t feel easy. All these complicated feelings he didn’t understand bubbled to the surface and he found himself blinking tears out of his eyes. Leo must have noticed, because he pulled Jason into a hug, being careful not to move him too much, so his wound won’t reopen.</p><p> </p><p>Jason tried no to cry, but he failed. Leo was being so uncharacteristically gentle, or maybe Jason just hadn’t noticed. After a bit, Jason managed to pull himself away.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t even know how to feel about this.” Jason sighed. “I barely even knew her. Am I even allowed to.. I dunno, feel bad about it? I did the right thing. Am I allowed to miss her? I barely even knew her.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey man,” said Leo. “I’m not the emotions police. You can feel however you want.” Leo took his hands away from where he had been holding Jason’s shoulders and put them gently in his lap. “Dead mom feelings are complicated.”</p><p> </p><p>Leo didn’t talk about his mom a lot, if ever. Jason tended to talk his emotions out these days. Leo- for all his talking and open book nature- held all his complicated emotions close to his chest. His mom and, well, most of his life before they met happened to fall into that category. Jason was afraid to ask- afraid Leo would shut down if he did- but he asked anyway.</p><p> </p><p>“Does it get easier? Less complicated?”</p><p> </p><p>Leo picked at his fingers. “Not really. It just gets... like… farther away. If that makes sense. Like it hurts just as much, but you’re used to it now, but it feels distant.” He gave Jason a real smile. “But who knows. Your mom sounds <em> way </em>different than my mom. Maybe our experiences will be different, too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, maybe.” Said Jason. “Thanks.”</p><p> </p><p>Leo shrugged. “Sure. After that ordeal, talking with you is the least I can do. I mean, that’s gotta be traumatic.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh definitely, I’ll be having nightmares for a least a week.”</p><p> </p><p>That made Leo laugh. Jason laughed too, he moved his legs to try to sit up better, and a ball of red fluff at the edge of his bed leaped into the air and jumped to the ground.</p><p> </p><p>“Abeona?” Jason gasped. He had no idea she had even been here. She gave an indignant hiss and ran from the room. “Abeona no! Baby, I’m sorry! Come back!”</p><p> </p><p>And that only made Leo laugh harder.</p><p> </p><p>End page 84</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 85</p><p> </p><p>Leo did want to come out of the wall. </p><p> </p><p>He had three more braces to attach, and nobody else was skinny enough to fit into the crawl space. (One of the many advantages of being scrawny). </p><p> </p><p>Wedged in between the layers of the hull with the plumbing and wiring, Leo could be alone with his thoughts. When he got frustrated, which happened about every five seconds, he could hit stuff with his mallet, and the other crewmates would figure he was working, not throwing a tantrum.</p><p> </p><p>The object of his thoughts was Jason, as it had been a lot, these days. </p><p> </p><p>After their talk on the deck where Leo had made his promise, it had been pretty easy to piece together that he liked the guy. Now the question was; how to go about it?</p><p> </p><p>Leo’s first instinct was to flirt. The main problem with that was, flirting with guys (when you were also a guy) was hard. Mostly for two reasons.</p><p> </p><p>One, boys were dense. Leo could say, “hey! I think you’re attractive and I want you to sit on my face!” And get the response, “Okay. As friends, right?”</p><p> </p><p>Yes, that had happened once. No, he was not proud of it.</p><p> </p><p>The second reason was that usually, when guys caught on, they were either straight and let him down easy, or straight and made fun of him. The second option was never fun. Once, a guy had spread rumors about Leo after Leo had tried to ask him out, and the rumors stayed until he moved foster homes. That had been a hellish semester.</p><p> </p><p>He figured that Jason wouldn’t do that, though. He decided to at least try and see where it went. (Probably nowhere, but it was worth the attempt).</p><p> </p><p>About a day after getting Percy and Annabeth back, Jason had been keeping him company down in the engine room again. Jason had said something along the lines of; “Is one of the gas pipes leaking? One of the hot air ones? It’s hot in here.”</p><p> </p><p>And Leo, like the genius he was, responded; “Yeah, like you.”</p><p> </p><p>He waited about twenty seconds while Jason stared into space trying to comprehend that while Leo got increasingly nervous. Then, Jason finally said; “Are you making another hot air joke?”</p><p> </p><p>And desperate to drop the conversation, Leo had agreed.</p><p> </p><p>So flirting was a no go with Jason. The problem was, Leo didn’t really have a solid backup plan for when flirting didn’t work. Like, if flirting didn’t work… now what?</p><p> </p><p>And the second problem was that Leo didn’t have the luxury of messing this up. This wasn’t some guy in this math class who was nice to him that one time, this was <em> Jason. </em>His closest friend. If he messed this up somehow, Jason might not want to be his friend anymore. </p><p> </p><p>That was a serious risk factor. He doesn't want to make things awkward. Plus, Jason had just gotten out of a relationship, who says he wants to get into another one? And this is all assuming Jason likes him back- which is slim to none. </p><p> </p><p>Leo decided to hold back on shooting his shot until he’s sure things will go smoothly. But what is he supposed to do until then? Just like, wait it out?</p><p> </p><p>Ever since Jason had been stabbed, he’d been told to get bedrest, and that meant he couldn’t visit Leo in the engine room while he worked anymore. Leo was surprised how much he missed his company, </p><p> </p><p>“Stupid Jason,” Leo mumbled to himself. “Stupid and handsome and dense as a brick wall…”</p><p> </p><p>“Leo!”</p><p> </p><p>Leo almost dropped his screwdriver, Piper’s voice had come out of nowhere.</p><p> </p><p>“What?” He said.</p><p> </p><p>“We’re almost to Olympia. We’re having a meeting in the mess hall, we need you.” She explained.</p><p> </p><p>“Give me a minute!” Said Leo. He wrinkled his way out of the crawl space. </p><p> </p><p>“What’re you working on this time?” She asked.</p><p> </p><p>Leo managed to leap down. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”</p><p> </p><p>Piper rolled her eyes fondly. Leo had been making some serious upgrades to the ship, and he didn’t want anyone to know what he’d done until he finished. If he did it wrong, the ship might fall apart, and he didn’t need Annabeth yelling at him because he’d taken an “unnecessary risk.” He had missed that scary blond girl, but she was still scary.</p><p> </p><p>See, Leo had been thinking of rebuilding Festus when he got back to Camp Half-Blood after this quest (because he <em> was </em> surviving that long, thanks). Then he got to thinking; it would be so useful to have Festus right now. Then, Leo thought that it would be even cooler if he could somehow have Festus <em> and </em>the Argo. Then, he got to thinking.</p><p> </p><p>Wouldn’t it be cool if Festus was able to crawl right out of the Argo like a removable piece of machinery? So now, he was rebuilding Festus’s body inside the wiring of the Argo II, so he would be able to detach and reattach himself from the ship, like a turtle leaving its shell.</p><p> </p><p>But to do that, he had to make sure to rebuild the body so that it could leave the ship without the ship falling apart. Which was daunting, but Leo thought he could do it.</p><p> </p><p>“You and your secrets.” Piper sighed. </p><p> </p><p>Leo walked for the exit. “It's part of my char- <em> oh my gods! </em>”</p><p> </p><p>Abeona stepped out from where she had been hiding in his sleeping bag (Leo’s cabin was used mostly for storage space now, and besides, he liked sleeping here better) and walked directly into his walkway.</p><p> </p><p>“You stupid animal!” Leo cursed while Piper laughed.</p><p> </p><p>Abeona just licked her front paws and curled back up. Leo glared daggers at her before finally making it to the door and headed to the mess hall, Piper right behind him.</p><p> </p><p>End page 89</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 91</p><p> </p><p>… Leo felt helpless. They broke <em> way </em>too easily.</p><p> </p><p>Leo had promised that the two of them would make it out for this alive- he wasn’t about to let a stab wound ruin that for him. But what was Leo supposed to do about it? Piper was a better nurse than he was. </p><p> </p><p>Leo managed to squeeze into the rhythm of breakfast on the Argo II. He was trying not to purposefully exclude himself. He told himself that his friends were happy to see him- because of course they were. Anything else was all in his head. (It would take a while for him to stop thinking of himself as the seventh wheel, but he liked to think he was headed in the right direction). </p><p> </p><p>To prove his point, Jason (who had finally swatted Piper’s hands away), smiled at him</p><p>As he made his way to his seat. Despite the possibly fatal wound, Jason was looking less stressed these days, probably because he wasn’t in charge anymore. It was a good look on him. He’d look even better if he stopped dying slowly.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s up guys?” </p><p> </p><p>End page 92</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>On page 95, ignore the sentence “Frank wasn’t just buffer and taller.”</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 98</p><p> </p><p>Percy grunted. “Probably had to do with that creep- kid! Kid. Uh, Octavian. Right?”</p><p> </p><p>Jason narrowed his eyes at Percy. Leo was one of the only two people on this ship who knew what had happened between Jason and Octavian. But Percy had made the mistake of insulting Octavian right in front of Jason before, and that hadn’t ended well. </p><p> </p><p>“Can’t be sure.” Jason decided. “Octavian doesn’t seem like he’s aware of his part in this war at all. He thinks Apollo is leading him. If anything, it might have to do with Gaea. Octavian’s a big part of her plan, and she needs Apollo to stay silent for him to be loyal to her.”</p><p> </p><p>Percy nodded, probably just hoping to keep the peace between them made by defeating giants together back in Rome.</p><p> </p><p>“Hopefully we can find Apollo and Artemis..</p><p> </p><p>End page 98</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>On page 107 and 103, ignore the lines about Calypso</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 122</p><p> </p><p>Until this moment, Leo hadn’t realized how much he’d resented Percy. It was evident that he had really hurt his friend Calypso when he rejected her. And Cal was Leo’s homegirl, he couldn’t just let that slide. But Leo couldn’t be mad at Percy when the guy acted so sincere. </p><p> </p><p>Leo decided to let it go, he seemed sorry enough and Calypso would hate Leo fighting her battles for her anyway.</p><p> </p><p>“One Nikette left,” Percy said.</p><p> </p><p>End page 123</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>On page 143 and 144, ignore Nico talking about the Cupid experience.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 167</p><p> </p><p>Leo was planning to visit Jason’s room after he finished what he was doing. </p><p> </p><p>So of course, the second he managed to get a break from his work, he ran into Percy on the deck. From the knee down, his pants were drenched. Leo almost didn’t want to ask.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh thank the gods, I found you.” Said Percy. That couldn't be good.</p><p> </p><p>“It appears you did.” Said Leo. “What did you do?”</p><p> </p><p>Percy snorted. “Ha. ‘What did i do’.”</p><p> </p><p>Leo narrowed his eyes at him, and Percy sighed. “The toilets are overflowing.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course they are.”</p><p> </p><p>While Percy led Leo to the bathrooms, he explained that his chore had been cleaning the bathrooms, and when he saw one was clogged, naturally, he went to unclog it. But when he flushed it, water spewed everywhere. “I hate it when toilets do that.” Percy was saying. “The last time it happened to me, I was twelve and I was controlling the water, but still.”</p><p> </p><p>Leo opened the door to the bathroom and the water immediately seeped through his shoes. Percy led over to the stall, which had stopped leaking, thank the gods. Leo also didn’t see any fluid other than water, so that was good.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t get it,” said Leo, “did you try flushing it again?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes.”</p><p> </p><p>“Was it <em> clogged </em> clogged?”</p><p> </p><p>“It was empty of water.” Percy explained.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s so weird.” Said Leo. “We’re gonna have to follow the pipes to see if there’s something wrong there- because there’s nothing wrong here.”</p><p> </p><p>“How do you follow pipes?” Percy asked. “Aren’t they hidden in the walls?”</p><p> </p><p>“I built this ship!” Leo reminded him. “I know where the pipes are. Annabeth thought we weren’t building basins in the plumbing system. Can you believe that?”</p><p> </p><p>Percy stared at him blankly. “What are basins?”</p><p> </p><p>“Nevermind.” Said Leo.</p><p> </p><p>Leo tried to remember which pipes went where as he navigated through the ship. Which led him back into the engine room.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s a tight fit, sorry.” Said Leo.</p><p> </p><p>Percy was struggling to squeeze past internal wiring, where Leo had been able to easily slip by. “Is it?” He said dryly.</p><p> </p><p>At least Percy was managing, Jason hadn’t been able to fit back here at all. His shoulders were too wide. Like.. way too wide.</p><p> </p><p>Leo shook the thoughts from his head. <em> Not the time.  </em></p><p> </p><p>All of the pipes curled around one another in complex circuitry before disappearing back into the wall. “Can you tell if any of the water is flowing weird in any of these with your Poseidon powers?” Leo asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Poseidon- do you mean my hydrokinesis?” Percy asked.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s what I said.”</p><p> </p><p>Percy sighed. He closed his eyes dramatically to concentrate. He patted around the pipes before deciding on one. “This one feels bubbly.”</p><p> </p><p>“Bubbly?” Leo asked.</p><p> </p><p>“There’s air bubbles.” Percy explained.</p><p> </p><p>Leo tracked the pipe from where it starts to where it disappears into the wall. Snug between the wiring and other pipes, one of the pipes had been disconnected, bolts coming loose, and water dripping out. Around the missing bolt were thin scratch marks.</p><p> </p><p>“That cat!” Leo cursed. “I’m going to throw it off this boat!”</p><p> </p><p>“C’mon, we don’t know for sure it was Abeona.” Percy thought a moment, then smiled as if he thought of something funny. “It could have been Frank.”</p><p> </p><p>Leo snorted. “Yeah. He <em> totally </em> could have walked into the back of the engine room in the form of a cat and clawed at the pipes until it came loose while he slept.”</p><p> </p><p>The two of them burst out laughing. Leo’s was pretty sure Percy hated him, but he was starting to realize that was just his resting face. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay but seriously,” said Leo, “I gotta fix this leak.”</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Jason knew he was dreaming. He was laying in his bed with Abeona comfortably snuggled on his chest, and he was asleep.</p><p> </p><p>His nightmare didn’t seem to be aware of that.</p><p> </p><p>He felt like he was falling right out of the sky. Like he had been controlling the winds and Jupiter suddenly decided he wasn’t worthy and smacked him right out of the air. </p><p> </p><p>He stopped suddenly, being yanked from that nightmare into the next.</p><p> </p><p>Octavian was walking through a camp, not Camp Jupiter. This must be a battle scouting site. Jason would recognize the Legion in preparation for war anywhere.</p><p> </p><p>Octavian held his head high as he approached his quarters, eyes followed him until he disappeared behind his tent doors.</p><p> </p><p>Finally alone, he seemed to drop his facade. Tired and frantic, he kneeled down on the floor in a standard prayer position, hands on his knees. </p><p> </p><p>“My lord Apollo, I seek you guidance, I-“</p><p> </p><p><em> I am always here, Augur. </em> Gaea’s voice boomed.</p><p> </p><p>Octavian flinched at the sound of her voice. Jason wondered how often Gaea was shouting war into his head. </p><p> </p><p>“Mike- a Centron- has brought up an excellent point.” Octavian began. “We have completed all the preparation needed to declare war on the Greeks. We can go to war <em> now, </em>just as you wish. Must we wait until August first when-?”</p><p> </p><p><em> You question me? </em> Gaea voice spoke so loud that Octavian squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears like he was in pain. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> I foretold that your father would die and I was correct. I foretold Karlo Markov and Jason Grace would betray you, and I was right. I foretold Reyna would betray the Legion and I was correct. I foretold that if you did as I said, bad things would stop happening to you, and they have. I foretold you would rise into power if you did as I said and proclaimed war on the Greeks, and you did. Now I am saying that you must attack on August first, no earlier and no later, and you will bring glory to New Rome by wiping them out and saving the gods from their warring Greek sides. Do you think I lie to you now?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“No.” Octavian said quietly. “Of course not, my lord.”</p><p> </p><p><em> Then you shall do as I command? </em>Gaea asked.</p><p> </p><p>“We will attack on August first, no earlier and no later.” Octavian promised.</p><p> </p><p>Gaea’s voice returned to normal volume. <em> Good.  </em></p><p> </p><p>And for a split second, Octavian seemed at war with himself as much as the gods were. Then he pushed his feelings aside, favoring “Apollo’s” judgement over his own.</p><p> </p><p>Jason jolted awake, startling Abeona. There was a knock at his door. He pet the ginger cat until she sat back down and Leo walked in.</p><p> </p><p>“Did I wake you?” He asked.</p><p> </p><p>“A little bit.” Jason smiled.</p><p> </p><p>Leo trotted over to his bed and sat on the edge of it, clearly in a good mood. Abeona lifted her head at his presence, and decided he wasn’t worth her attention, and went back to sleep.</p><p> </p><p>“Any dreams?” He asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Nothing new.” Jason said. No need to worry Leo with things he already knows about.</p><p> </p><p>“You’ll never guess what happened today.” Said Leo.</p><p> </p><p>“What?”</p><p> </p><p>“Percy helped me fix a leak in the plumbing, and I think we’re best friends now.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wow,” said Jason.</p><p> </p><p>“I know,” said Leo. “I thought he hated me.”</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t believe I’m being <em> replaced </em> by <em> Percy Jackson.” </em>Said Jason dramatically.</p><p> </p><p>“Yep.” Said Leo, popping the ‘p’. “Turns out we have the same stupid humor. The puns begin now, and they will never stop. You’re our first target.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wow, betray.” Said Jason. “I can’t believe I’m going to have to fight Percy Jackson for best friend rights <em> and </em>for horrible pun usage. A shame.”</p><p> </p><p>Leo laughed and hit his knee. “When you’re all healed up, Lightning boy.”</p><p> </p><p>In moments like these- mindless laughter with Leo, a breath of fresh air in a hurricane- it was almost easy to forget how Jason couldn’t do anything to help Octavian.</p><p> </p><p>Almost easy to forget he was leaving his best friend for a boat of others.</p><p> </p><p>End page 167</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 169</p><p> </p><p>Her experiences with Hera the cow queen, the katoblepones of Venice, and the pictures of the creepy death cows in the house of Hades hadn’t helped.</p><p> </p><p>Piper stared up at the cave, she wondered what could possibly take Frank so long.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>The entrance to the cave was so large, Frank wondered how many people lived here. The cave was big enough to house the entire Argo II. But he didn’t see a single living thing.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello?” He asked, his voice echoing off the walls. He walked on the uneven rocky ground of the cave farther in. It was getting pretty dark, but he suddenly noticed a footpath. The ground was nice and smooth and he followed it farther in. </p><p> </p><p>Frank was beginning to wonder if the ghost Piper had talked to had led them into a trap, when he suddenly saw a quaint suburban style house at the end of the path. There was a porch with a rocking chair on it and everything.</p><p> </p><p>Frank walked up to the door and dried his feet in the little cat shaped welcome mat before ringing the doorbell. While he waited for someone to answer the door, Frank couldn’t help but be nervous. His Grandmother had made this sound like such a huge deal. By meeting these people, he will have successfully circled his family around the whole globe. He wondered if they knew he was coming.</p><p> </p><p>A tall, tan man with short black hair opened the door, surprised to see him. Probably because their house was the back of a gigantic cave. “Can I help you?” He asked tentatively. “How did you find this house?”</p><p> </p><p>“A ghost told me.” Said Frank. “I mean- a ghost told my friend who told me. I’m Frank- I think we’re related.”</p><p> </p><p>The man squinted at him, as if thinking ‘this fat Asian boy is related to me?’ And then he recognized something. “Oh, you’re Fai! Ms. Zhang’s grandson. Come in, come in.”</p><p> </p><p>Frank froze at the door. “You’ve already met my Grandmother?”</p><p> </p><p>The man nodded. “She, erm, stayed with us for a while. She told us all about you.”</p><p> </p><p>Frank tensed up. His Grandmother told him that she had been ready to die the last time he saw her. Mars had confirmed it. Despite the house burning down and the fact that she may have escaped in the form of a bird, Frank had convinced himself he would never see her again, and he had almost made peace with it. Mostly.</p><p> </p><p>But the mere mention of her made him tense up. He wanted to ask- where had she gone? Was she dead, now? He desperately wanted to know, but on the other hand, he wasn’t sure he could handle the answer. So he didn’t ask.</p><p> </p><p>The man extended his hand. “I’m Marco. Come in.”</p><p> </p><p>Frank stepped inside and almost reached down to take his shoes off, but stopped. Some of his friends growing up had thought taking your shoes off at the door was weird, even though his mother and grandmother had hammered it in his head that it was polite- he didn’t want his extended family thinking he was weird. </p><p> </p><p>The foyer was decorated rather tacky- yellow walls and orangey brown tiles on the floor. There were a few dresser drawers with loud potted plants and several paintings hung on the walls. To the immediate right, the room opened up into a living room. The walls changed to baby blue and the floor into shaggy brown carpet. There were children’s toys littered about the place and a large, old timely fireplace in the center, surrounded by beige couches with too many throw pillows.</p><p> </p><p>There were several people in the living room. One woman with deep brown hair and warm brown skin looked up at him, asking something in Italian.</p><p> </p><p>He responded quickly and brought Frank into the living room into the middle of chaos. He introduced him to everyone in rapid fire.</p><p> </p><p>The woman on the couch was his wife, they had two twin sons who were both twelve. The wife’s sister lived here with her toddler son- her husband had left her. Marco’s parents were still around- a couple of old people who were currently out back. Then Marco’s older brother who had quite the pot belly, and his wife, and their two children, a daughter and a son who were a bit older than Frank. The daughter had been married recently and her husband had moved in. He seemed frazzled. The son had an eyepatch. Then there was Marco’s mom’s sister, who was an amputee, and missing an arm. Then her two kids- a son who she called ‘lazy’ and lived in their basement, and her slightly younger son who lived here with his husband and fourteen year old daughter.</p><p> </p><p>He had barely caught any names, just vaguely Italian sounding names that blended together. Frank’s said his own name so many times it sounded like a foreign language. When Marco added “He’s Ms. Zhang’s grandson.” To the end of his introduction, most raised an eyebrow at him. His Grandmother had that kind of an impact on people.</p><p> </p><p>“Your Grandmother didn’t say much about your quest.” Said Marco, once he had introduced him to everyone. “Just that you would come for the poison. What brings you here, anyway?”</p><p> </p><p>Frank explained his quest, Gaea, the oncoming war, all of it. He debated telling them about how his family went from Greece to Rome to China to Canada, but if his Grandmother had lived here, he was sure they knew. He talked about the legionnaire ghost he saw in the House of Hades who told him to come to Pylos and the physician's cure. And, just for good measure, he asked if they knew anything about the chain god in Sparta they were supposed to find.</p><p> </p><p>“Sounds like Ares.” Said Marco’s brother. “The Spartans kept a statue of him in chains so the spirits of war would never leave them.”</p><p> </p><p>Frank squirmed. He hoped he didn’t have to fight his dad, that would be uncomfortable.</p><p> </p><p>One of the twins grinned at him. “You saw real ghosts?” He asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Yep.” Said Frank.</p><p> </p><p>“I bet they were cooler than our ghost.” Said the other. “Our ghosts yell at us when we stay out too late.”</p><p> </p><p>Frank decided not to ask.</p><p> </p><p>“No wonder you need that poison.” Said Marco’s wife’s sister, Violeta, maybe, “You and your friends seem very close. It’s noble that you want to protect them from death.”</p><p> </p><p>“We’d better get on it, then.” Said Marco. “We’ll need Pat to open- PAT!” He yelled.</p><p> </p><p>The young adult with the eyepatch stood up from where he was playing on the floor with an infant whom Frank wouldn’t remember was related to.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p> </p><p>Marco turned to Frank. “Pat is a demigod too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Pat?” He asked. He only realized he said it aloud after it came out of his mouth- it was an odd name for an Italian. Or anyone born in the last decade. </p><p> </p><p>“Short for Patroclus.” Said Pat. “Son of Hermes.”</p><p> </p><p>Frank flushed, “Cool.” </p><p> </p><p>“Pat is the only one who can open the box the poison is in.” Marco explained. “It’s his Hermes powers.”</p><p> </p><p>Pat looked like a tired college student for a moment- and Frank felt for him. Marco ushered the two of them down farther into the house. The walls were a tan-ish grey here, and peeling in some places. The house looked so ordinary from first glance, one might disregard it as a normal mortal’s home. But the more Frank looked, the more he saw signs of demigod life. </p><p> </p><p>Claw marks on the wallpaper, spoils of war like horns or swords hung on the walls. Frank walked past a bust of Zeus as he followed Marco and Pat down a hallway.</p><p> </p><p>Marco stopped abruptly in the middle of a walkway and took a painting of a man Frank didn’t recognize mid battle off the wall. Behind it, was a safe. </p><p> </p><p>Pat placed a hand on the safe and it clicked four times before opening. A velvet ornate box sat in the hole in the wall. Pat took it out and Frank heard more clicking noises before the box popped open. He handed a small vial to Frank. </p><p> </p><p>“It’s <em> pylosian mint. </em>” Marco explained. “The plant it comes from sprang from the blood of a nymph who died on a mountain down the forest path Melinda ago. Don’t be irresponsible with it.” He warned.</p><p> </p><p>“I won’t.” Frank promised, deciding not to ask any further questions. “Thanks, you guys didn’t have to help me.”</p><p> </p><p>Marco’s gaze was soft. “Of course we did. Your Grandmother told us you’d need it someday, and we always help family. You know, we were surprised when she showed up. Most people only show up at our door to get our help on quests. Our family gift is quite helpful with god given tasks but it can be… tiresome. She said…” Marco cleared his throat. “She told us to tell you- if you made it this far- that she’s proud of you. And if you die before you finished your quest, she’ll, erm, ‘kick you into your next life’.”</p><p> </p><p>Frank’s throat constricted. Yeah, that’s something she’d say. He clutched the vial close to his chest. He didn’t want to know he didn’t want to know he didn’t want to know.</p><p> </p><p>But if he didn’t ask, he’d regret it.</p><p> </p><p>“Where is she?” His voice sounded pathetic to his own ears.</p><p> </p><p>Marco patted him on the shoulder and Frank wished he wouldn’t respond. “She’s out here.”</p><p> </p><p>He led Frank out the backside of the house. There was a porch here too, and an old couple sat in a porch swing, they didn’t seem to register Frank was here. The cave was dark, but he could see clearly in front of him- a graveyard.</p><p> </p><p>“Our family has lived in this cave for centuries.” Said Marco. “All of them buried here.”</p><p> </p><p>Everything inside Frank screamed at him to run back inside, but Frank forced himself to stay. </p><p> </p><p>Marco walked off the porch and down the beaten path and Frank forced himself to take every step to follow.</p><p> </p><p>He stopped at a humble stone marker, the dirt around it freshly turned over. He read his Grandmother’s name in Chinese characters. His eyes burned and he felt time stop.</p><p> </p><p>He knew Grandmother was probably dead. He should have been prepared for this. But that didn’t make time seem any realer.</p><p> </p><p>“She only stayed with us for a couple weeks or so before passing. She talked about you all the time, Fai. She was really proud of you.” Marco said gently.</p><p> </p><p>Frank’s legs felt weak, like he’d fall over any minute. It shouldn’t be this shocking- it shouldn’t. He had just hoped everything would just go back to normal after this quest was over.</p><p> </p><p>Things would never be the same now. It couldn’t, not without her.</p><p> </p><p>Hot tears spilled down his face, he barely registered it. Marco patted him gently on the shoulder. The touch was welcome, Marco and his family (our family?) had been there for Grandmother when he hadn’t.</p><p> </p><p>Frank wasn’t sure how long he stood there, but eventually Marco ushered him back inside. None of it felt real yet. He wondered when it would.</p><p> </p><p>Marco didn’t try to get Frank to say goodbye to everyone, just walking him out the door and down the long path to the edge of the cave.</p><p> </p><p>Frank’s eyes had to adjust again to the sunlight, making them sting even more. </p><p> </p><p>“We’d love for you to stay,” Marco began, “but we know you’ve got an important quest to get back to. If you need help, or anything at all, you come back, okay?” </p><p> </p><p>“Okay.” Said Frank.</p><p> </p><p>“And when this is all over, you come to visit whenever you want. We’d love to have you.”</p><p> </p><p>Frank nodded. “Yeah,” he said. He thinks he will, actually. His extended family seemed big and crazy- but they seemed like kind people, and they felt like a real family. “Thank you. For the poison and… everything else.”</p><p> </p><p>Marco waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. That’s what family’s for. You stay safe out there.”</p><p> </p><p>“I will.”</p><p> </p><p>Marco smiled at him and turned into a large black bird, and flew back into his cave, leaving Frank with a gaping hole in his chest.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Piper finally spotted Frank at the top of the cliff. He made his way down the trail until he reached Piper.</p><p> </p><p>“I found them.” He said simply.</p><p> </p><p>“I noticed. You okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Frank took a deep breath. He looked frazzled. “Yeah. They were nice. There were a lot of them, actually.”</p><p> </p><p>Frank tried his best to explain the whole ordeal. Though Piper wasn’t sure how he could retain that much information about a family. She got lost halfway though. “And… they showed me my Grandmother’s grave. This was where she came after the fire, and… where she passed.”</p><p> </p><p>His voices sounded emotionless, but Piper could tell he was wrestling with this. She didn’t know what she’d do if something happened to her dad, she couldn’t imagine what must be going through Frank’s head right now. “My gods, Frank. That sounds awful. I’m so sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>He patted his arm because everything else was too high up, offering a hug if he wanted it. He didn’t seem to. “It wasn’t too bad.” He said, his voice painfully small. “She died surrounded by family. She’s in a better place, probably. I know where her grave is now, if I want to visit it. I didn’t have to see it happen.”</p><p> </p><p>“But you wish you had been there for her?” Piper guessed.</p><p> </p><p>“I wish it hadn't happened at all!” Frank said, a spark of emotion pouring into his tone.</p><p> </p><p>He cleared his face of pain, like it took effort to keep emotion there- like it was all too backed up. </p><p> </p><p>“But uh, good news.” He held up a green vial. “Got the poison.”</p><p> </p><p>Piper could sense he didn’t want to talk about his Grandmother anymore, so Piper decided to let it be. “Okay.” She said. “You- if you want to talk about this later, you can. Anytime. I’m here for you.”</p><p> </p><p>Frank smiled, a sad little thing, and nodded. “Okay.”</p><p> </p><p>Frank held up the vial. “They call it <em> Pylosian mint…” </em></p><p> </p><p>End page 171</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>On page 179, ignore the whole paragraph about Piper and Jason holding hands and Piper thinks about the future.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 182</p><p> </p><p>“Wait. I have annoying qualities?”</p><p> </p><p>Piper flicked him on the side of the head. “Yep. Leo’s a horrible influence on you.”</p><p> </p><p>As if summoned, Leo opened the door without knocking. “A party? Am I invited?”</p><p> </p><p>Jason brightened. “Hey, Leo. What’s going on?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, not much.” He pointed upstairs. “The usual Venti trying to destroy our ship. You ready for guard duty?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” Jason got up and looked pointedly at Piper. “And don’t worry, I know what not to eat.”</p><p> </p><p>Piper raised an eyebrow. “I’m kidding.” Jason reiterated. “I know what you meant. Thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>She smiled. Piper was so glad she and Jason were friends again. Not that they had ever stopped, but things had been a bit awkward there for a while. Now, things seemed smooth enough to joke about their break up. “Anytime.”</p><p> </p><p>After the boys left...</p><p> </p><p>End page 183</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 248</p><p> </p><p>Piper lay in bed, thinking.</p><p> </p><p>She was thinking about a lot of things, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get one very specific memory out of her head.</p><p> </p><p>Piper had pulled Annabeth into the collapsing tunnel, escaping the giants. Annabeth had pushed her out of harm's way and they tumbled out into a grassy landscape, unharmed.</p><p> </p><p>Annabeth landed on her, and had to pull herself up. For just a moment, she laughed, hovering just inches above Piper’s face as she lay on her back, golden curls falling past her head and tickling Piper’s nose.</p><p> </p><p>And Piper froze, like she was wildly uncomfortable yet didn’t want this moment to end. She thought, <em> Wow, Annabeth is really pretty. </em></p><p> </p><p>Which probably hadn’t been normal, but Piper hadn’t really had time to think about that because Annabeth was pulling her up to her feet and whipping grass and dirt from her shoulders.</p><p> </p><p>Since it happened, Piper had been replaying it in her head on loop. She couldn’t figure out why because she literally had no room in her head for any further thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>Now though, that she had the capacity to think thoughts, she was wondering if she was attracted to Annabeth at all.</p><p> </p><p>Not dating her- she definitely didn’t want to date Annabeth- she didn’t really want to date anyone right now, but she had always found Annabeth to be really pretty. But that was because Annabeth <em> was </em>really pretty- it wasn’t just Piper’s perception. She just was.</p><p> </p><p>Piper was starting to wonder if that was true, now. Like, the more the thought about it, the more it made sense. Piper would be opposed to- let’s say- kissing Annabeth. Or a pretty girl that looked like her. </p><p> </p><p>She didn’t think she liked Annabeth specifically, but she was starting to wonder if she was attracted to girls in general.</p><p> </p><p>Oh well. That’s a thought for another day.</p><p> </p><p>Piper had other things to be thinking about. She strode down the hallway to Jason’s room. </p><p> </p><p>After several months aboard the Argo II, Piper had everyone’s schedules down. Fifty percent of the time, anyone could be found aboard the deck fighting or watching for monsters. If not, a good place to start looking was the chore chart. Leo got really mad when chores weren’t done. </p><p> </p><p>Speaking of; Leo could be found almost always in the engine room or other maintenance parts of the ship, working on something. Jason could almost always be found hovering nearby, passing him the wrong tools because all of them had confusing names. Piper hung out with them when she could, but the engine room was a bit claustrophobic for her.</p><p> </p><p>Ever since Jason got injured, though, he’s been spending more time resting. Which meant that Leo had to come to him. Which Leo was doing fairly often, taking regular breaks from his work. Piper wondered if they could somehow make this a permanent situation- minus Jason slowly dying, of course. </p><p> </p><p>Jason could (also before being injured) be found sparring with Frank. They had made a regular thing of it- though Jason wasn’t really teaching him anymore. They were practically on the same level as far as talent goes. Similarly, Piper had made a habit of sparring with Hazel. Piper was getting pretty good at using her new jagged bronze sword. Though, Jason said it was jarring, seeing her sword fight in a strictly Roman style.</p><p> </p><p>Hazel could also be found taking care of the cat, she loved that ginger drama Queen. Frank and Annabeth hung out doing war god things (whatever that was, Piper may never know). (Speaking of- she and Frank had had a long, healthy talk about his Grandmother yesterday. She was glad to help him process those emotions). </p><p> </p><p>Frank spent a lot of time with Hazel, too. So long as they weren’t alone, Buford the wonder table’s Coach Hedge hologram wouldn’t yell at them. Percy third wheeled them enough so that it didn’t happen often. But the Hedge hologram loved to yell at Percy and Annabeth whenever they hung out. </p><p> </p><p>Then there were movie nights where everyone hung out. And Girls nights. </p><p> </p><p>Today was a girls night. It’s when Annabeth, Hazel, and Jason (?) hung out and just talked calmly about the crazy things happening in their lives. Piper was always invited, but never came. Something to do with rejecting femininity in order to stand out, needing attention because she didn’t get it from her dad. (Because she wasn’t <em> like </em>other girls and she needed to show it). Something to do with rejecting femininity because girls were confusing and mean to her and she didn’t want to be associated with them.</p><p> </p><p>But femininity was a part of her identity. A part of her identity that she had pushed away. And for what? There wasn’t anything wrong with being feminine. Something tells Piper that Aphrodite isn’t about shunning parts of yourself you don’t like. She’s about self-love as much as any other love. Piper was feminine and that’s okay.</p><p> </p><p>That didn’t make Piper feel any less awkward standing in front of Jason’s door. It was Girls night tonight and because Jason passed out earlier on deck due to his injury and was sent <em> straight </em>to bed for bed rest, they’d be meeting here. </p><p> </p><p>She felt like she was doing a mortal wrong as she knocked on the door. She had really spent years convincing herself that girly things were bad- but she was now convinced that girls who were girly were just as valid as anyone else, and she was allowed to be girly if she wanted. She was going to convince herself of this by going to the girls nights and showing herself that it would be fun.</p><p> </p><p>Hazel opened the door and brightened at Piper’s presence. “Piper!” She said. “Come in, come in!”</p><p> </p><p>End page 249</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 274</p><p> </p><p>“No, I think I get it.” Said Jason. “I had to defeat the Titans Krois with my own hands. It was… awful but good at the same time. While doing it, I felt powerful. If that makes sense. My sword was broken halfway through, so I was literally using my bare hands to fight him. Jupiter used me as a conductor for his master bolt, helping me to defeat him.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason shuddered at the memory. “I had never really thought of myself as half <em> god </em>before. I guess none of us really do. But in that moment, I had never felt more like a god.” Percy nodded gravely, like he understood. “I think all demigods have to struggle with that. I think the worst thing we can do is forget our mortal side, become more like the gods. They’re powerful, but they don’t value life like we do, they only value power.”</p><p> </p><p>“Like Luke.” Said Percy.</p><p> </p><p>Jason had never personally meant Luke Castellan, but he figured Percy had a point. “I felt awful about it, afterwards. I know it was necessary, Krois would have killed dozens in the legion if I had spared him. Just like Akhyls probably would have killed you and Annabeth. Knowing you did the right thing doesn’t make you feel any better, though. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned by having to live with that experience, is that you can’t blame yourself for things you had to do. What I do is remember what I did that I don’t like, and try to be better the next time something like that happens. Does that help?”</p><p> </p><p>Percy smiled. “Yeah, a bit.” He said. “You know, you’re pretty good at this.”</p><p> </p><p>“At what?”</p><p> </p><p>“This whole friend thing.” Said Percy. And for the sake of their friendship, Jason decided not to be upset that Percy sounded surprised.</p><p> </p><p>“What did Kym mean about defeating Gaea? You mentioned Ouranos…” </p><p> </p><p>End page 274</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 206</p><p> </p><p>Leo felt really bad for his ship. It had been torn apart by a massive storm, barely scraped back together, unable to fly, but it kept trudging on anyway. What a trooper.</p><p> </p><p>But anything would be worth it for Jason to be healed up again. Seeing him healthy again elevated so much stress. Leo would probably do anything so that Jason stayed uninjured. </p><p> </p><p>Not that Jason could know that. Leo had wisely decided not to push it with Jason. Not only because Jason was hugely dense when it came to this stuff, apparently. But also because Jason was his closest friend. He wasn’t Samantha from sixth grade math class that he could hit on without having to worry about her reaction because he didn’t even know her last time. </p><p> </p><p>This was Jason Grace, his closest friend, who hung out with him when no one else did, who could tell something was wrong with just a glance, who invaded his personal space despite the fact that Leo was made with fire and had the capacity to hurt him. Leo would probably hurt him- he hurt everyone that got close- it was only a matter of time. But Jason stayed. He had to have known that, but he <em> stayed. </em>Leo had never had anyone who had done that before. All his other friends- even Piper (though he didn’t think she did it on purpose)- kept him at a physical and emotional arms length. Not Jason. </p><p> </p><p>Jason wasn’t some random pretty girl in his math class, he was the most important person to Leo right now. And if by telling Jason how he felt, he messed things up- there was no undoing that. It wasn’t a risk he was willing to take. Not unless Jason said something first. Leo couldn’t risk being wrong about Jason liking him.</p><p> </p><p>And though it was a very low possibility, Leo had considered it. There were times where Leo wasn’t sure. When Jason would give an excuse to stay with him a little longer than he needed to. When he told everyone to stop talking to Leo could speak. When he laughed at even the dumbest jokes Leo made. He wondered… maybe.</p><p> </p><p>But “maybe” wasn’t enough. He wasn’t willing to risk it all on a “maybe”.</p><p> </p><p>Which was why Leo decided he would be the best friend he could be. Jason was always so nice for Leo, so Leo would do the same. Until something changed, Leo wouldn’t.</p><p> </p><p>And that was a promise.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>“We can’t keep going in like this,” said Leo. “The ship is broken, and we need the supplies to fix it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Supplies we don’t have.” Hazel confirmed.</p><p> </p><p>Jason scratched the back of his hand, waiting for Annabeth’s response.</p><p> </p><p>The Argo was worse for wear, and Leo didn’t have the stuff he needed to fix it. The Argo II trudged along until it couldn’t anymore, stopping at a port of a small Italian town Jason hadn’t managed to memorize. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay, here’s the plan.” Said Annabeth. Everyone at the table leaned in. “Two of us go to the nearest Home Depot to buy everything needed to finish rebuilding the ship.”</p><p> </p><p>“Can we stop to get clothes, too?” Asked Frank. “All my shirts have sword holes in them.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, okay.” Annabeth agreed. “And two of us can go get more clothes.”</p><p> </p><p>Leo’s eyes twinkled like he suddenly had a brilliant idea. “Okay, Jason and I will go get clothes.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason looked across the table at him confused. Why them?</p><p> </p><p>“Shouldn’t you go get the ship supplies?” Asked Annabeth. “You’re the one who knows what we need.”</p><p> </p><p>Leo pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. “Actually, I wrote a list.” He handed it to Annabeth. “You know what those are, right?”</p><p> </p><p>Annabeth crossed her arms. “I helped you build this ship.”</p><p> </p><p>“Great!” He said. “So you take the Home Depot, and Jason and I will go to a clothings store.”</p><p> </p><p>Annabeth turned to Jason, an eyebrow raised. Jason shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>“Fine by me.” Said Annabeth. “You wanna help me shop for supplies, seaweed brain?”</p><p> </p><p>Percy grinned. “Always am.”</p><p> </p><p>“Great!” Said Leo, mischief on his mind. “Then let’s go!”</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>“Okay,” asked Jason. “What’re we doing.”</p><p> </p><p>Leo and Jason walked side by side on the sidewalk, Leo taking bigger steps to keep up and avoid stepping on cracks. </p><p> </p><p>“Buying clothes.” Said Leo.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, but <em> why </em>.” </p><p> </p><p>“Because we’re out. Monsters keep tearing them apart.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em> Leo </em>.” Said Jason.</p><p> </p><p>“Because I remembered you’ve never been shopping before.” Leo reiterated. “Clothing is important. It’s a form of self expression. You’ve probably never had a lot of that before. Now you’re gonna get the opportunity. Surprise!”</p><p> </p><p>Jason’s head felt light. That was thoughtful of him. “I didn’t know clothes were that important.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure they are.” Said Leo. “You may not be able to control what you look like, but you can control what you wear. And your hair, I guess. You can change how people perceive you in little ways. You can wear what’s comfortable. Style is a type of identity. You said you wanted to expand on who you are, because you’d never had the opportunity? Well, here’s one.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason was stunned. For one that he remembered that, for another, that he had deemed it important enough to go out of his way to help. </p><p> </p><p>“What?” Said Leo. Jason must have been staring.</p><p> </p><p>“Nothing.” Jason said quickly. “You’re the best.”</p><p> </p><p>Leo beamed. “And don’t you forget it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Aye aye, captain.”</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Things Jason thought he was prepared for but was not, actually.</p><p> </p><p>Target.</p><p> </p><p>That building was <em> massive. </em> Like, easily twice the size of the temple of Mars in New Rome. And they had <em> everything. </em> Food, clothes, shampoo, books, plates, <em> plastic </em>plates. It was a madhouse.</p><p> </p><p>Leo took a cart and walked down iles grabbing this and that and throwing it in. They reached the clothing section and guessed at everyone’s sizes. If they were wrong, it would be <em> mad </em> embarrassing.</p><p> </p><p>Every once in a while, Leo would hold up a shirt that was about Jason’s size and say, “What about this? Do you like this shirt?” And then Jason would remember that he was allowed to have opinions, and wasn’t quite sure what to say. This was very foreign to him. Was he supposed to like one more than another? They were all just shirts. They covered him just fine. But Leo said this would help with his identity crisis, and Jason trusted him.</p><p> </p><p>Nonetheless, Jason kept his eye out for anything that stood out to him. They passed one rack of clothes, and Jason saw the most peculiar thing. A shirt- no, a jacket, made entirely out of jean material. Like, the pants kind.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s the holdup, sparky?” Leo asked.</p><p> </p><p>Jason pointed at the jacket. “I didn’t know you could make other stuff from jeans.”</p><p> </p><p>Leo grinned and grabbed the jacket off the rack. He checked the tag inside, and then held it up to Jason. “Yeah, that should fit.” He decided. “Do you like it?”</p><p> </p><p>Jason decided that he did like this jacket. It had a fuzzy white collar that continued inside, it looked comfortable. But suddenly, something about wearing it terrified him.</p><p> </p><p>Jason didn’t wear things because he wanted to, he wore things because they were at the top of his drawer and they fit him. What would people think, seeing him dressed outside the norm? Would they bring it up? </p><p> </p><p>It was just a jacket, it shouldn’t matter. But he felt like it kind of did? If he broke away from what people expected him to look like, they’d comment on it and he’d feel awful about it.</p><p> </p><p>Wait no, Jason didn’t care about what other people thought of him anymore. Right, he wasn’t listening to people's expectations anymore. It was just a jacket, and he liked it. He was going to wear it.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.” Said Jason.</p><p> </p><p>Leo put it in the cart and they moved on. Jason took a deep breath. His friends wouldn’t judge him- of course they wouldn’t. Besides if they did, Leo would have his back. Jason felt a flurry of emotions for his best friend, but tried not to let them show in his face.</p><p> </p><p>“We should probably stop by the electronics section and get some dvds,” said Leo. “The crew is probably getting tired of watching the same four movies over and over.”</p><p> </p><p>This consisted of Jason holding up dvds he didn’t know of and Leo deciding if they were worth his time. They ended up getting all of the Shrek movies, Tangled, Into the Spider Verse, and an old animated Batman film.</p><p> </p><p>Walking past the video games (which took effort on Leo’s part), Leo stopped in front of the music isle. Particularly, in front of a small, plastic box that Jason didn’t recognize. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh my gods,” said Leo. “It’s only twenty bucks. They’re selling this for <em> twenty dollars.” </em></p><p> </p><p>“Selling what?” Jason asked.</p><p> </p><p>Leo picked up the case. “It’s a CD player!”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t we have one of those?” Asked Jason.</p><p> </p><p>“No, that’s a CD player for movies,” Leo clarified, “<em> This </em> is for <em> music. </em>”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh,” said Jason. “Cool.”</p><p> </p><p>“We should buy some CDs! Jason, what bands do you like?”</p><p> </p><p>Jason paused, thinking. “Bands?”</p><p> </p><p>Leo’s eyes widened. “Oh, that’s right. You probably don’t listen to music often.”</p><p> </p><p>“Not true,” said Jason. “Sometimes when you were working on the Argo back at Camp Half-Blood, you played music. And Camp Jupiter has a choir. I wasn’t in it, but I heard them sing.”</p><p> </p><p>“And what songs did they sing?” Leo asked.</p><p> </p><p>Jason shrugged. “Dunno. They were all in Latin.”</p><p> </p><p>Leo laughed at him, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him into the isle. Jason might have teased him about how excited he had gotten over something so small, if that smile didn’t completely take his breath away. Scratch that, Jason found it admirable that Leo could find such joy out of something so small. They could all use a bit more joy these days. </p><p> </p><p>“We’ll each get one.” Said Leo. “I know you don’t know any of the artists, but just pick one you think you’ll like.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason looked through the shelves for art that stood out to him. Leo said “Yes, they have Led Zeppelin!” And Jason picked up a case that had a photo of a man in black and white with his eyes crossed out in neon pink, with a striking green background. The words “Green Day, !Uno!” were printed on it. </p><p> </p><p>He held it up for Leo to see. “What about this one?” </p><p> </p><p>Leo turned around to look at him. “Maybe start with something a bit more mild.” He suggested. Not quite sure what that meant, Jason went back to looking. His eyes caught an orange case, with a group photo of several people on it. At the top, it said “Glass Animals”, and at the bottom, it read “How to be a human being”. </p><p> </p><p>Jason thought that was fairly fitting. “What about this? Is this good?”</p><p> </p><p>Leo leaned over his shoulder. “I’ve never heard of them.” Said Leo. “To be fair, though, I got my music taste from my mom, so I really only know old people music. I’m two seconds away from buying an Abba cd.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason must have looked confused because Leo added; “It’s good music. Anyway, if you like it, add it to the cart.”</p><p> </p><p>They only made one more stop- to buy headphones, and then they finally made their purchase.</p><p> </p><p>Jason ended up carrying more plastic bags than Leo, but he didn’t mind. Leo talked about his projects and how he was trying to get Odysseus’s astrobe thingy to work but couldn’t quite figure it out. </p><p> </p><p>They walked out onto the street, where the Argo would be a couple blocks away. That’s when everything went south.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Normally, seeing two teenagers being attacked by a flock of birds for their food would have made Leo laugh. </p><p> </p><p>He was about to do exactly that before he realized they weren’t birds, they were harpies.</p><p> </p><p>“<em> Jason </em>!” Said Leo, batting his arm. Jason noticed them too. </p><p> </p><p>“Do we help?” Jason asked.</p><p> </p><p>That was a tricky question. On one hand, it was their duty as demigod heroes to defeat monsters when they were attacking. On the other hand, those harpies probably looked like seagulls or something and the kids might call the police if Jason turned them to dust with his sword.</p><p> </p><p>One of the kids- (they both looked just a bit younger than Leo) was Latin-X, like Leo’s was. They had straight black hair cut messily at their jawline, bobby-pins holding it back so it didn’t fall in their eyes. They wore scuffed up jeans and an oversized hoodie and were holding a giant McDonald's takeout bag. “Stupid bird ladies!” They said. </p><p> </p><p>The second girl had curly white-blond hair in a pixie cut and hazel eyes, rimmed by round glasses. Her clothes were equally scuffed up, and she held the same thing in her arms. “We gotta get gone before the money disappears. Let’s just book it!” She replied.</p><p> </p><p>Jason and Leo made eye contact. Since that made absolutely no sense whatsoever, the safe assumption was that these two kids could see through the mist on some level, they could have been mortals, nicer monsters, secretly evil monsters, sorcerers, or even demigods. Jason nodded at him, and Leo nodded back. A silent agreement to help. </p><p> </p><p>Jason charged forward, sword held high and slashed right through the nearest harpy, turning it to dust. That got the other’s attention. The two kids looked up at them surprised, but made no move to run away.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s right,” said Jason. “Leave them alone.”</p><p> </p><p>Harpies circled around him, just barely out of reach. Leo stood to the side, not quite sure if he should jump in. If he used his fire, he might hit Jason.</p><p> </p><p>The kid whose gender Leo could not tell yet smiled wildly and handed their McDonals to their friend and pulled a celestial bronze knife from their hoodie, and slashed at the nearest enemy.</p><p> </p><p>This made the harpies fan out wider, giving Leo space to use his flame. <em> Finally, </em>he thought.</p><p> </p><p>Leo managed to disintegrate two harpies long distance before the remaining three turned their attention to him. They swooped over head and Leo ducked, but talons scraped his scalp. </p><p> </p><p>He heard loud <em> skwalk! </em> and talons against metal before turning around and seeing Jason, who had defeated it. </p><p> </p><p>Leo shot him a smile in gratitude and the final harpy got stabbed in the chest by that kid with the knife. </p><p> </p><p>They turned to Leo and Jason, worry etched in their face. “Are the nuggets okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“Are- what?” Said Leo.</p><p> </p><p>The blond girl spoke from behind Leo. “All good here.”</p><p> </p><p>Black hair sighed in relief. “Thank the gods.” They turned back to Leo and Jason. “Wow, you guys came out of nowhere. Thanks so much, we really owe- oh my Hera, you’re bleeding!”</p><p> </p><p>Leo and Jason flinched and looked at one another in unison. Leo pointed at Jason’s chest, where two long scars dripped blood down his chest, probably from harpy talons.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh jeez.” Said Jason, noticing them.</p><p> </p><p>“Those don’t look great.” Said the black haired kid. “Do you guys got a way to heal that?”</p><p> </p><p>“We have ambrosia back on our ship.” Said Leo. His mind raced. The ship was still far away, but maybe if Jason used the winds and flew them there- no, that would sap his energy. How had Leo not noticed he’d gotten hurt? Why was Jason so accident prone? “The Argo II is still fifteen minutes away, but-“</p><p> </p><p>“Fifteen minutes?” Said the kid. “You’re going to want to disinfect that cut sooner than that. Harpy talons tend to be kinda dirty- personal experience. Why don’t you come back with us so we can patch it up for you? It’s only a minute’s walk from here.”</p><p> </p><p>The blond girl seemed surprised her friend had made that offer. Jason seemed reluctant, but Leo wasn’t watching Jason get hurt again, especially not an infected cut <em> that </em> deep. Infections were awful.</p><p> </p><p>“Sure, that be really great.” Said Leo, quickly, before Jason could refuse.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you guys demigods, too?” Asked the blond girl, a bit more skeptical. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, we are.” Said Jason. “I can’t believe there are American demigods in <em> Greece </em>. What are you doing here?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s a long story.” Said the kid. “We’ll walk and talk.”</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>As it turns out, the black haired kid was named Tye, and the girl was Charia. Neither of them knew where their godly parents were, and they were both fourteen.</p><p> </p><p>“There are sixteen of us, Half-Bloods, I mean. We’re all unclaimed. We survive together.” Tye explained. “We wouldn’t even be alive without Charia. She can manipulate the mist. It’s how we get food and shelter. She can make fast food people think we have money, and then forget we were ever here.”</p><p> </p><p>Charia reddened under the praise. </p><p> </p><p>“She also protects our camps with a magical veil that hides our scents from monsters, so we’re pretty safe. We have a bunch of different hideouts across the city, just in case. We’ve gotta keep moving around. Charia’s magic is strong, but she’s only one person. Eventually, monsters sniff us out and we’ve gotta move somewhere else. Sixteen demigods is a lot.” Said Tye.</p><p> </p><p>“It feels like it’s getting less and less and the time.” Said Charia.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s amazing that you’ve survived so long,” said Jason. Leo had to agree. He had been homeless several times, and it was no easy task. “You know, there’s a place for demigods in America, New York. They’d take care of you, if you went there. You would have to run anymore.”</p><p> </p><p>Charia stopped over a manhole in the road. “You’re talking about Camp Half-Blood.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I am.” Said Jason. “If you already know about it, then why are you… here?”</p><p> </p><p>Tye laughed bitterly. “Because Camp Half-Blood is the whole reason we’re in Greece in the first place. They’ll never find us here. Camp Half-Blood <em> is </em> what we’re running from.”</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Leo tried not to openly retch at the smell of the sewer. The place where the demigod had set up camp, there wasn’t any water, but it was still damp and moldy and you could smell the water anyway. Leo had stayed in his fair share of sewers when he had run away from home, so he didn’t judge.</p><p> </p><p>He was kind of impressed, actually. When Leo had camped out in sewers, it was usually for one night and then he kept moving. This was clearly a place where people lived. </p><p> </p><p>Abandoned mattresses and throw pillows and even a whole couch were spread around for sitting and sleeping on- they probably found those abandoned on the side of the road. Various weapons lay scattered about. Though most were scuffed up, bent, dented, twisted, dull, or all of the above. Drying clothes hung on wires overhead and backpacks were lined up against the wall, like the demigods were ready to run away at any moment.</p><p> </p><p>Speaking of the demigods, Leo was astonished at how young they all were. The oldest was easily Annabeth’s age, and the youngest being seven or eight- and there were kids all ages in between. They all looked a bit malnutrioised, and smelt like they hadn’t showered in a while- though that might’ve just been the sewer smell. All of their clothes seemed to be worse for wear, like they were constantly getting beaten around by monsters, which they probably were. </p><p> </p><p>A scrawny black kid with a shaved head was sitting on a red pillow staring up at the group as they descended. He didn’t look ever twelve. “Oh, finally!” He said. “I want nuggets.”</p><p> </p><p>Tye landed down first. “We’re spreading this around evenly.” They said.</p><p> </p><p>The kid noticed Jason and Leo. “Who are they?” </p><p> </p><p>“This is Jason and Leo, they’re demigods, like us.” Said Tye. “They’re from Camp Half-Blood.”</p><p> </p><p>The kid wrinkled his nose at him. “Why’d you invite them here?”</p><p> </p><p>“Relax, Caleb. They saved our lives. And our lunch.” Said Tye, handing out a box of nuggets to him. Caleb seemed to trust Tye’s judgement. In fact, everyone seemed to look at them for guidance. The others had noticed Jason and Leo’s arrival. As Tye and Charia handed out the food, they regarded them oddly. Barely accepting of their presence. Leo figured they could have chased them off if Tye hadn’t vouched for them.</p><p> </p><p>Sixteen demigods were happily eating chicken nuggets and Tye, Charia, and a younger girl with brown pink tails came back over to them. The brunette girl came with disinfectant and they all sat down.</p><p> </p><p>As Jason was getting disinfected, Tye started a conversation. “So, how’s this place compared to yours? We call it a half-blood hideout. We’ve got a bunch just like it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Half-blood hideout?” Said Jason. “I feel like I've heard that before.” But he hissed with pain at the disinfectant before he could think about it any farther.</p><p> </p><p>“You okay?” Leo asked on instinct. </p><p> </p><p>“Fine.” Said Jason. Then to the others, “Thanks again for this. You really didn’t have to help.”</p><p> </p><p>Tye waved him off. “It’s no problem- you guys are such a cute couple.”</p><p> </p><p>Leo flushed a violent shade of red. “We’re not dating.” He corrected.</p><p> </p><p>Jason furrowed his eyes, like he hadn’t quite comprehended the question. </p><p> </p><p>“Ah,” said Tye, “right.”</p><p> </p><p>“Question,” said Leo, “what do you guys have against Camp Half-Blood? Why would you run all the way to Greese to avoid them?”</p><p> </p><p>All four stray demigods around them cringed.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s kind of a loaded question.” Said Charia.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I know!” Said Jason. “My friend Annabeth and my sister Thalia and their friend Like had a bunch of places called ‘half-blood hideouts’ when they were on the run. That’s why I remember it, Annabeth and I talk about that a lot. Ha, what a coincidence.”</p><p> </p><p>Tye averted their eyes. </p><p> </p><p>“That’s not a coincidence, is it.” Said Jason</p><p> </p><p>“No.” Said Tye. “We, erm, we all <em> used </em> to go to Camp Half-Blood, actually.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why did you start running?” Asked Leo.</p><p> </p><p>Tye looked to Charia hesitantly before continuing. “You have to understand, we were all in the Hermes cabin. All of us were unclaimed. Some of us, like me, we’d been there for <em> years. </em> Can you imagine, waiting and waiting for a sign that never comes? That not even your <em> parent </em> wants you?”</p><p> </p><p>Jason looked at the floor and nodded. Leo remembered that he had never met his father and was never claimed, he had just been told who his father was by the wolves that raised him. Also, he had just recently dispelled his mother’s ghost- a mania.</p><p> </p><p>Tye continued. “A lot of us in the Hermes cabin, we were getting really tired of being ignored by the gods. When Luke Calestan went rogue… well… he reached out to a lot of his past cabin mates, and he was making a lot of sense. I know he was wrong now- we all do, but back then…. I don’t know. Luke had a way with words. And in some ways, I think he was right. He didn’t go about it correctly, but he wasn’t wrong, exactly.”</p><p> </p><p>Tye folded their hands in their lap. “We sided with Kronos in the second Titans war. If we went back, they wouldn’t take us. We betrayed them.”</p><p> </p><p>“I think you’d be surprised.” Said Leo. “Chiron is pretty forgiving.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, you don’t understand.” Said Charia. “If we went back, we’d just be living the same way we did before. Nothings changed! We would all just be lumped back into the Hermes cabin like that wasn’t the reason we left in the first place. If we weren’t claimed then, why would we get claimed now?”</p><p> </p><p>“Camp Half-Blood is much different now than it was then.” Said Jason, finally all bandaged up. “At the end of the war, Percy Jackson made all of the Olympians promise to be better parents. Camp has all these new cabins for minor gods and goddesses. Even Camp Jupiter is-“</p><p> </p><p>“What’s Camp Jupiter?” Asked the little brunette girl.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s a really long story that we don’t have time for.” Said Leo. “Our point is; Camp <em> has </em> changed since you left it. If you wanted to give it another chance- it beats being homeless. From personal experience.”</p><p> </p><p>“If things really are different,” said Caleb, “then why haven’t any of us been claimed?”</p><p> </p><p>Leo shrugged. Jason ran a finger over his new bandages. “I can’t speak for the gods. I’ve never even met my dad. But I don’t think they’d want you to be in the run forever.”</p><p> </p><p>Charia looked at a spot on the floor when she spoke. “We don’t hate camp. For some of us, it was our home- no mortal parents to go back to. Even now, those of us with mortal parents, we can’t bear to face them, knowing what we’ve done. It’s the same reason we can’t bear to face Chiron. But they didn’t really need or want us at camp. Can you guarantee that if we return, it will be with open arms? That things will be different?”</p><p> </p><p>Leo thought of a clever way to respond to that, and ended up dry.</p><p> </p><p>“Nothing in life is guaranteed.” Said Jason. “Especially for a demigod.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” said Leo. “I’m supposed to be in Wilderness school right now. But instead I’m in Greece trying to stop the world from imploding.”</p><p> </p><p>“The world is what?” Asked Caleb, alarmed.</p><p> </p><p>“Life is a funny thing.” Said Tye. “You think you might be headed this way, and you end up in Greece. None of us particularly want to be living in a sewer or anything. Maybe our paths will one day drift back to camp, who knows. Our journey is a long one, and I don’t think you can help us.” They smiled. “Besides, you’ve got a quest to finish, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“I couldn’t have said it better myself.”</p><p> </p><p>Leo could not whip his head around faster if he wanted to. Standing in the center of the room, was what was clearly a goddess (Leo was getting pretty good at identifying them). She had rich brown skin and long dark dreadlocks that fell past her shoulders. Her eyes seemed to shine light brown and she wore some sort of Roman attire that he couldn’t remember the name of, but it resembled a gown. </p><p> </p><p>The kids in the room were shocked at her sudden appearance, standing up quickly and grabbing for weapons, but the woman remained unfazed. “My name is Abeona.” She said. “I am Har- erm, it’s Tye now, isn’t it?”</p><p> </p><p>Tye was standing in the balls of their feet, like a spooked squirrel ready to flee. “Yes.”</p><p> </p><p>“I am your mother.”</p><p> </p><p>“We named our cat after you!” Said Leo, without thinking.</p><p> </p><p>Abeona smiled. “Yes, I know. It’s the only reason I was able to find this place.” She waved her hand. “Let me explain. I am a Roman goddess, I have no Greek counterpart. When your satyr guide Samuel found you, Tye, he assumed you were a Greek demigod and brought you to the wrong camp. Happens all the time. I couldn’t claim you there because I’m Roman, the Greeks wouldn’t understand what my symbol meant.”</p><p> </p><p>Tye’s eyes were wide in shock. They looked angry, shaken, scared. Leo realized they weren’t going to say anything, so he stepped in. “Why didn’t you claim them after that?”</p><p> </p><p>“I couldn’t find them.” Said Abeona. “Your friend is very strong in magic. Not even the gods could find you. The only reason I’m here now is because I’ve been following Jason and Leo’s quest closely ever since they named their cat after me. I was strangely honored, no one really thinks of me anymore. I’m just lucky you ran into one another.”</p><p> </p><p>Abeona walked over to Tye, who looked frozen. Everyone moved out of their way. “I’m sorry this took so long, and I’m so sorry I let you think I didn’t care for you. I care for all children, especially my own, of which I have so few. But you’re right. Your journey is far from over. And I’m very proud of you for making it this far.”</p><p> </p><p>Tye remained in place, tense and unsure what to feel. But eventually they nodded, and the goddess backed up. She turned to Leo and Jason.</p><p> </p><p>“I have done my best to watch over you on your journey.” She said. “But there’s not much I can do. Your fates… I am no god of prophecy, but I can sense tragedy in your near future. One of you will not make it out of this quest alive. As for which one of you, I can’t say. No matter what happens at the end of this journey, you will face insurmountable sadness.”</p><p> </p><p>“No.” Said Leo.</p><p> </p><p>Abeona tilted her head in interest. “Excuse me?”</p><p> </p><p>“I said no.” Said Leo. “A lot of important deities have told me a lot of horrible things and so far, but we’ve been pretty okay. We’re going to get that physicians cure and no one is going to die. I made a promise.”</p><p> </p><p>Leo didn’t dare look at Jason, but Abeona smiled. “Whatever happens, it’s out of my hands now. As you come to the end of your quest, it will fall into my counterpart Adiona’s department. I wish you all well on your journeys.”</p><p> </p><p>And just like that, she disappeared.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>As Jason and Leo gathered their things (multiple target bags), they explained their quests to the others. As they did, Leo realized that if the Argo hadn’t been going to Gaea, Gaea would have probably tricked these demigods into coming instead, since they were closest. Leo wondered (if Gaea needs a boy’s and a girl’s blood to wake), what would happen if Tye bled on the stones?</p><p> </p><p>“We’d been having dreams about the earth opening up and swallowing us, recently.” Tye had said. “That makes sense.”</p><p> </p><p>Leo was glad to be free of the sewer stink, at least. </p><p> </p><p>“Will we ever see you again?” Jason asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Who knows,” said Tye. “I hope so.” They playfully batted Leo in the shoulder. “Now go save the world.”</p><p> </p><p>They descended the drain once more, and Leo and Jason set off back towards the ship.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, that was eventful.” Said Jason. </p><p> </p><p>“No kidding.”</p><p> </p><p>“We’re not going to tell the others about this, are we?”</p><p> </p><p>“They wouldn’t believe us.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason laughed. His smile held out for a few more seconds, then dropped. “I believe you.”</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Leo asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Your promise.” Said Jason. “I believe you can do it. If anyone could find a way to thwart fate, it would be you.” Jason’s smile returned again and Leo stopped walking. </p><p> </p><p>“You’d really trust me that much?” Leo asked, his voice much to soft to be his.</p><p> </p><p>“I’d trust you with just about anything.” Said Jason. Like he didn’t know Leo was made to burn, that Jason would fall like Icarus if Leo let him in too close. Like Leo didn’t hurt everyone that he let in close. He seemed to just keep getting closer. “We’ll make it to Gaea and whatever happens… we’ll make it out. Besides. What does that prophecy know? It’s a billion years old.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason felt irresistibly close. Leo couldn’t keep him at arms length if he tried. And he didn’t want to. Leo managed to look up at him, and as the sunset painted him gold and crimson, Leo thought of the unfairness that this boy might die before he has a chance to live.</p><p> </p><p>Resolve hardened in his gut. <em> Hey gods, fates, whoever. </em> Leo thought. <em> Can you hear me? Jason Grace will not die because of this prophecy. He is going to survive this battle. I want this prophecy. I claim those lines. They’re mine. And I’m going to thwart them. </em></p><p> </p><p>Leo had no idea if whoever up there heard him, but he didn’t care. He knew... he would be the one to cheat death.</p><p> </p><p>Jason and Leo walked back to the ship, standing close enough for their shoulders to brush up against each other. Leo formulated a plan to cheat death.</p><p> </p><p>End page 306</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 318</p><p> </p><p>Leo explained what he had in mind. He had cultivated the plan in a haste last night after his talk with Jason. </p><p> </p><p>The plan was risky and involved lying to everyone except Frank and Hazel. It was a very simple idea, really. Hazel made a copy of the physician's cure to give to Jason or Piper or someone, but Leo would keep the real version. He’ll install it in Festus (who was almost ready for operation) as an injector, and Festus would be able to inject him with it whenever the dragon realized he had died during the battle.</p><p> </p><p>“I could see that working.” Said Apollo. “But how would you insure that <em> you </em>would be the one to die, and not this other demigod?”</p><p> </p><p>“Not quite sure about that part.” Leo admitted. “I was hoping you had ideas?”</p><p> </p><p>Apollo strummed his ukulele in contemplation. “Well, prophecies are quite tricky. Especially ones that have the word ‘or’ in them, like yours does. That kind of prophecy doesn’t care which event happens, so long as one of them does. Take Percy Jackson’s prophecy for example. His prophecy started with ‘the child of the eldest gods’. Now, that could have been several people. To prevent the prophecy from being passed down to Nico or Thalia, Percy claimed that prophecy, deciding it <em> would </em>be about him. And it was.”</p><p> </p><p>“So, I should claim that line if the prophecy?” Leo asked. “Because I’ve already done that.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s good, that’ll help your chances.” Said Apollo. “Question; why do you care so much if this line affects you or the other one?”</p><p> </p><p>Leo squirmed, he hadn’t exactly talked about this with anyone yet. “Jason is my friend. I don’t want him getting hurt. Wouldn’t you do the same thing for any of your friends?”</p><p> </p><p>Apollo shrugged. “Mortal love is different than a gods. I’d probably do anything for my sister but beyond that… what is that you have made?”</p><p> </p><p>End page 318</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 318 </p><p> </p><p>He recognized the melody that sprang forth- it sounded like a mechanical version of the wind chimes that hung outside the Zeus cabin at camp. </p><p> </p><p>It sounded hopeful and fearful and tragic all at once. Like the eye of a hurricane. Like the knowing that in any direction that you step, you’ll be swept up into the storm. </p><p> </p><p>Leo forgot Apollo was there and played the song all the way through. The song made him wistful, it reminded him of carefree moments at Camp Half-Blood and on the Argo II, even on their quest to free Hera. Just the in between happy moments, like picking strawberries, playing capture the flag, eating not Italian ice cream, and nights in bunker nine and the engine room. It sounded like the whisper of a promise.</p><p> </p><p>When he was done, his eyes stung. Apollo stared in awe at the instrument. “I must have it, what is it called? What do you want for it?”</p><p> </p><p>Leo had a sudden instinct to hide the instrument and keep it for himself. But he swallowed the longing. He had a task to complete.</p><p> </p><p>Jason… Jason needed him to succeed.</p><p> </p><p>“This is the Valdezinator, of course!”</p><p> </p><p>End page 320</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Ignore everything that happened after the line “he reached into his tool belt and pulled out the actual vial of physician’s cure- not the trick-of-the-mist version he had handed to Piper.”</p><p>Until the end of the chapter.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 378</p><p> </p><p>Percy had been above deck all morning on the eve of their Gaea attack. Tomorrow, he would be fighting against a horde of giants and monsters and finally, the dirt goddess herself.</p><p> </p><p>Needless to say, he had pre-battle jitters. He tried to remember if he had been this anxious about the battle of Manhattan, but that felt like so long ago. He probably was.</p><p> </p><p>He lumbered down below deck. He decided he probably just needed to bother somebody to calm down. But who to pick? Annabeth was busy with Frank, preparing for every possible contingency, Piper and Hazel were training, probably. Percy decided on Leo. Leo was fun, good natured. He was sure to make things seem less awful.</p><p> </p><p>He wasn’t in the engine room (odd), and so Percy decided to check his personal room, though he wasn’t there often. </p><p> </p><p>He opened the door without knocking. “Hey Valdez, what-“</p><p> </p><p>“Spider!” Said Leo, alarmed. He was standing on a chair in the middle of his room, which was kind of a cluttered mess. Percy couldn’t even see his bed underneath all of the random scattered stuff laid out there.</p><p> </p><p>Percy looked at the floor, trying to find whatever Leo was freaking out about, but found nothing. “Where…?”</p><p> </p><p>Which was when a spider the size of Percy’s hand scuttered out from under a small pile of clothes. Percy yelped, and ran over to where Leo was, joining him on top of the chair. </p><p> </p><p>The chair wobbled but supported their weight. “I thought you would help me, not make things worse!” Said Leo.</p><p> </p><p>“Why would you think that?” Said Percy.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve seen you kill a giant sea serpent single handedly.” Said Leo.</p><p> </p><p>“This and that are two very different things!”</p><p> </p><p>“Isn’t Annabeth afraid of spiders?” Leo asked, “I thought you were the designated spider killer in the relationship!”</p><p> </p><p>“You thought wrong!”</p><p> </p><p>Then Jason opened the door, walking in at the worst possible moment. He squinted at Leo and Percy, probably rightfully confused as to why they were standing on top of a chair.</p><p> </p><p>“What’re you guys-?”</p><p> </p><p>And Leo interrupted him, “Look out, it’s right next to you!”</p><p> </p><p>He pointed at the floor, and Jason looked down to his right and spotted it. A spider the size of his palm. He shrieked and jumped- flew- up into the air so fast, he hit his head in the ceiling. </p><p> </p><p>Percy laughed- he didn’t mean to, he knew it was probably cruel, but it was funny. Jason rubbed his head where it hit the ceiling. Leo, still clinging to him on the chair, looked like he was trying his best not to laugh.</p><p> </p><p>“You okay there, man?” He looked in equal parts fond and exasperated. Like he was both worried about his head (it had been bonked enough times) and holding in a laugh, as if he were saying ‘yep, that’s my Jason. Can kill a whole Titan with his bare hands but freaks out when he sees a bug’. Sort of like how Annabeth reacts when Percy trips over untied shoelaces during sword training and she’ll help him back up and say ‘I told you to tie them before training, seaweed brain’, and do that thing where she kisses him on the cheek because he did something stupid which was actually kind of like rewarding bad behavior but-</p><p> </p><p>Wait a minute.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>“Piper I’m telling you, I know what I saw!” Said Percy for the fifth time.</p><p> </p><p>“I think if Jason and Leo were dating, I’d know.” Said Piper.</p><p> </p><p>Percy and Leo had finally convinced Jason to kill the spider and made a pact never to tell Annabeth about a possible giant spider infestation. Percy had left the two of them alone and immediately went to Piper to talk about his newfound knowledge. </p><p> </p><p>Percy and Piper had never had a specific moment where they had gone from strangers to beat buds, Percy had always just felt really chill vibes from her. Like, he was hangling around her one day and thought to himself; <em> This is the exact kind of person I would have made friends with at school. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Maybe they didn’t tell you because they were keeping it on the DL.” Percy suggested.</p><p> </p><p>Piper sighed and laid down in her bed. “If my two best friends were dating, they would have told me, Percy.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, okay.” Said Percy, in surrender. “But I’m like, ninety percent sure that Leo likes Jason.”</p><p> </p><p>“Whatever you say.” Said Piper.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Soft music filled Jason’s ears through cheap headphones.</p><p> </p><p>He was laying on his back in bed listening to the CD player he and Leo had bought. It was night, and he should probably be in bed, but he felt wide awake. Tomorrow, they would be fighting Gaea, and he needed his rest, but Jason couldn’t fall asleep.</p><p> </p><p>A soft knock came from his door. “Come in.” Said Jason, sitting up and pressing pause.</p><p> </p><p>Piper opened the door quietly and closed it behind her and sat down next to him on the bed. “Hey.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey.” Said Jason.</p><p> </p><p>“Whatcha got there?” She asked.</p><p> </p><p>Jason held up the CD player, “Leo thought it was a good idea to introduce me to music.”</p><p> </p><p>“That entirely depends on the music.” Said Piper. “What’re you listening to?”</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, is a band called ‘Glass Animals’, I think,” said Jason. “I really like it so far. I’ve never really listened to music to <em> listen to music, </em> you know? I didn’t know music could sound this way. Like, it’s like talking about your feelings but singing. I didn’t know that was a thing.”</p><p> </p><p>“Glass Animals?” Piper asked, like she hadn’t heard the back half of that sentence. </p><p> </p><p>“Yes?” Said Jason.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my gods, you like alternative music.” Said Piper.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know what that means.”</p><p> </p><p>“Jesus Christ, you’re gonna be an alt boy.” She continued, looking somewhere between excited and horrified. </p><p> </p><p>“Still don’t know what we’re talking about.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my gods.” Piper repeated.</p><p> </p><p>Jason yanked the headphones off. “Did you come in here for something or just to make fun of me?”</p><p> </p><p>“Just to make fun of you.” Said Piper.</p><p> </p><p>“Right.” Said Jason.</p><p> </p><p>Piper placed her hands gently in her lap, a bit more serious. “But seriously,” she began, “I wanted to tell you something.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I’m not entirely sure yet…” she said, “but I think I like girls.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s cool, Pipes.” Said Jason. “How’d you come to that conclusion?”</p><p> </p><p>“Again, not a conclusion, because I’m not one hundred percent sure yet,” said Piper, tucking a hair behind her ear. “But Annabeth is pretty.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, seriously?” Said Jason. “I’m very excited for you and very supportive- but what is it about Percy and Annabeth that has everyone deciding they’re gay? They’re not that attractive.”</p><p> </p><p>Piper squinted at him. “Are you trying to tell me something right now?”</p><p> </p><p>“What?”</p><p> </p><p>“If you’re gay for Percy, you can just tell me.” Piper said.</p><p> </p><p>Jason suddenly remembered that he was the only one who knew about Nico. “No, Piper.”</p><p> </p><p>“You can trust me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Piper, I’m not attracted to Percy Jackson.”</p><p> </p><p>“If you were though, I wouldn’t blame you.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em> Piper </em>.”</p><p> </p><p>“He has nice eyelashes. I’m kind of jealous.”</p><p> </p><p>“Piper,” Jason said. “Out of the small handful of boys on this ship, I can guarantee you that Percy is not the one I would be attracted to.”</p><p> </p><p>Piper raised an eyebrow. “But there is one that you would be?”</p><p> </p><p>Jason looked at the ground. He probably should have just kept his mouth shut.</p><p> </p><p>“<em> Jason. </em>” Piper insisted. “Jason I told you mine. You gotta tell me now.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason contemplated if this was a good idea or not, he hadn’t really thought about telling anyone.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s Leo, isn’t it.” Said Piper.</p><p> </p><p>“What?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes or no, Jason. Is it Leo?”</p><p> </p><p>Jason shrugged, trying to appear like he didn’t have a strong opinion.</p><p> </p><p>“It is, isn’t it?” Said Piper.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.” </p><p> </p><p>“But do you mean, attracted to him on a surface level way, or like, you-would-date-him kind of way?” Piper asked.</p><p> </p><p>Jason froze for a moment, adjusting his new glasses. “I hadn’t thought about that.”</p><p> </p><p>“About what?”</p><p> </p><p>“Dating.” Said Jason. “I mean, I do really like Leo. Like actually. But dating isn’t something I had thought about. I dunno, I’ve never liked anyone this way before, I don’t really know the standard procedure.”</p><p> </p><p>Piper stared at him, wide-eyed. Then dropped her joking, taking a more serious tone. “I get that. This is new for you. Speaking generally, when you like someone, the first thing you wanna know is what you want to come from that feeling, and what the other person wants.” Piper explained. </p><p> </p><p>“Like, if you decided you like Leo, but in a way that you don’t actually want to do anything about it, I would just ignore the feelings until they go away. If you think dating him would be nice, you would want to make sure Leo feels the same way about you before bringing it up. There’s other options, like a queer platonic relationship or friends with benefits, but honestly, I can’t see you going for either of those.”</p><p> </p><p>“Uh huh.” Said Jason, mostly following what she was saying.</p><p> </p><p>“First off; <em> do </em>you think Leo likes you, the way you like him?” Asked Piper.</p><p> </p><p>That felt like a loaded question, Jason couldn’t even verbalize the way he felt about Leo, he didn’t know what it would look like on someone else. It felt like an all consuming flame that scorched his insides, but like, in a good way… if that even made sense. How did that look like to other people?</p><p> </p><p>“Honestly,” said Jason, “I haven’t been paying enough attention. I haven’t been looking for it. How would I tell?”</p><p> </p><p>Piper shrugged. “Who knows? I certainly don’t. I was wrong about you.” She put a gentle hand on his wrist. “Top priority though, is figuring out what you want. I know you’re not super used to thinking of your own wants, but I want you to think about it. What do you want? Do you want to date Leo?”</p><p> </p><p>Jason thought about it, genuinely. What would change if they were dating, anyway? They’d probably spend a lot of time together, which they already do. When this whole quest was over, they would probably go on regular people dates. That would be the same as hanging out, right? So no big deal.</p><p> </p><p>If they were dating, Jason wouldn’t have to feel weird about saying the things he wanted to say. He could just <em> tell </em> everyone how amazing he thought Leo was. He could tell <em> Leo </em>how amazing he thought he was. He knew Leo doubted himself a lot, and if they were dating, Jason wouldn’t feel weird about constantly wanting to reassure him that everything he did astounded him.</p><p> </p><p>If they were dating, they would talk about the more serious topics Jason tended to avoid. Jason would mind that at all. Leo would be the first person Jason went to when he needed someone, and vice versa. That was already true on Jason’s end.</p><p> </p><p>If they were dating, they would probably kiss and stuff. Jason had thought about kissing Leo briefly before. But he let himself think about it for more than just a passing second (before forcing himself to think of something else). In complete honesty, Jason would probably really enjoy that. </p><p> </p><p>“Yes.” Said Jason. “I think.”</p><p> </p><p>“I think you should give it some thought.” Said Piper. “Another important question; do you want him to like <em> you </em>?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes.” Said Jason. “Now I really want to know. I hadn’t thought about it before- how do I figure out if he likes me?”</p><p> </p><p>Piper tapped her chin, thinking hard. “I’m still probably not the right person to ask about that, but I’ve got two ideas.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah?” </p><p> </p><p>“One; we can hyper analyze every single interaction you’ve ever had.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hmmm.”</p><p> </p><p>“Two; you do something drastic to your appearance and see if he still thinks you’re hot.” Said Piper with a smile.</p><p> </p><p>“Both of those sound like a lot of work.” Said Jason, “And that second one assumed he thinks I’m hot in the first place.”</p><p> </p><p>Piper patted him on the shoulder lightly. “Oh Jason,” she said, “I can assure you, everyone on this ship thinks you’re hot to some degree.”</p><p> </p><p>“Uh,” said Jason, “okay, I guess”</p><p> </p><p>“So,” said Piper. “What’ll it be? One, two, both, or neither?”</p><p> </p><p>Jason pushed his glasses up. “Actually, there’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now, but I’ve never gotten around to it.”</p><p> </p><p>“What?”</p><p> </p><p>“I want you to cut my hair.”</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>It took a lot of convincing, a lot of;</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure you trust me with scissors this close to your head?”</p><p> </p><p>But Piper actually did a pretty nice job, in Jason's opinion. And they both still had time to get some good sleep in. </p><p> </p><p>Jason was woken in the morning by Buford the wonder table bursting into his room at eight in the morning with his coach Hedge hologram, yelling; “Put some clothes on!”</p><p> </p><p>Needless to say, Jason had gotten up pretty quickly. Though, he was the last to arrive at the breakfast table. </p><p> </p><p>The walls flickered with pictures of Camp Half-Blood, making Jason hopeful that they’d be home soon, instead of his normal homesickness. </p><p> </p><p>Percy was the first person to notice him entering the room. “An undercut!” He said. “Absolutely serving at the end of the world! I love it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks, man.” Said Jason, taking the only empty seat next to Hazel, who had Abeona sitting in her lap. She gave him two thumbs up.</p><p> </p><p>Piper smiled at him from across the table knowingly. Frank kept eating his pancakes and Jason looked at Leo.</p><p> </p><p>Jason had done this for himself- he had always had the standard Camp Jupiter military style cut for as long as he could remember, and he wanted to do something more individual. But he did also care what Leo thought.</p><p> </p><p>He was looking in Jason's direction, starting, like his head was someplace else. A lot of Jason friends with ADHD did that. “Leo, you good?”</p><p> </p><p>Leo blinked back into reality, flushed red at being caught spaced out. “Yeah. Uh, you look great.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks.” Said Jason.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, now that we’re all here,” Annabeth began, “let’s make sure we’re ready for today. We’re almost at Piraeus. Is the ship is fully operational?”</p><p> </p><p>“At one hundred percent and then some.” Said Leo, smiling like he knew something the rest of them didn’t.</p><p> </p><p>“Everyone’s got their weapons ready to go?”</p><p> </p><p>“I made sure of it before I went to bed.” Said Frank.</p><p> </p><p>“The canons and ship defenses are ready?”</p><p> </p><p>“You betcha!” Said Hazel.</p><p> </p><p>“Everyone is well rested, and ready to fight for their lives?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes ma’am.” Said Jason.</p><p> </p><p>“You’ve got the physician's cure?” Annabeth asked directly to Piper.</p><p> </p><p>She pulled the little red vial from her pocket. Hazel looked anxiously into her food, and Frank put a hand on her shoulder. Leo looked worried. Jason could relate, he really wasn’t looking forward to that thing being used. </p><p> </p><p>“I still hate going out there without a real plan.” Annabeth sighed.</p><p> </p><p>“We have a plan,” said Percy, “no ones allowed to bleed. No bleeding allowed.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” said Leo, “we’ll incarcerate ourselves instead.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason laughed, along with Piper and Annabeth. </p><p> </p><p>“Hopefully, no ones going to die.” Annabeth said. “No one that won’t be magically resurrected with the physician’s cure, at least.” She sighed, her face dropping to be a bit more serious. “But if anyone <em> does… </em> I want you all to know that I’m glad we’re all friends. I know we didn’t get along right off the bat, but I think we’ve really come a long way. I know a lot of you really struggle with the idea or concept of family, maybe because you don’t have any, or you didn’t have a very good one, but I think- right here-“ she patted the table. “This is a good one. </p><p> </p><p>“I had once been promised that I’d always be family to someone. I thought I knew who my family was... and I was wrong. I didn’t expect to find a family in you guys, either. Obviously, sometimes family isn’t quite as cut and dry as I used to think it was. And… and I’m proud to call you guys my family, now. I’m proud of you all in general. You’ve all come so far individually, and together… and I’m not super happy about the impending doom to the quest or anything, but I’m really glad we met.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em> Babe. </em>” Said Percy, his eyes glistening with tears.</p><p> </p><p>Hazel was sitting to Annabeth’s right and she tackle-hugged her without getting up from her seat, scarring Abeona. </p><p> </p><p>Frank was very clearly crying. “I love you guys so much!” He said. “Y’all better not die! None of you!”</p><p> </p><p>“Do <em> not </em>start crying!” Said Piper. “If you start crying, I’m going to cry!”</p><p> </p><p>Jason did quite now how to respond to that, what could he possibly say? </p><p> </p><p>She was right, though. Piper had learned to trust and love herself. As well as becoming an incredibly powerful charmspeaker, she learned sword fighting and how to embrace the parts of herself she was used to hiding.</p><p> </p><p>Jason hadn’t thought much of Hazel at first, but she had come a long way. Jason easily considered her the strongest of the seven. She had learned to be a master of the mist in an astonishingly short amount of time. She was a master swordsman, she had amazing control over the earth and all its riches, not to mention her crazy fast horse. She had learned a lot about thinking of herself as a sorcerous as a bad thing, and overcoming her curse, and adjusting to living in this century.</p><p> </p><p>Frank may have improved the most; going from insecure about everything from his fighting skill to his appearance, Frank had become a powerhouse among the seven. Gaining confidence and becoming a versatile fighter; using bows, swords, knives, and shape shifting. He had really come into himself in terms of confidence and as a leader.</p><p> </p><p>Percy and Annabeth, at first, kept to themselves. After going through so much in their demigod youth, they had been the most reluctant to go on this quest, and the most reluctant to get to know the other people on it. They had been the pseudo leaders of the quest for a while, but now, the crew worked more like a unit. And the two of them worked alongside that unit.</p><p> </p><p>Percy could be confrontational and once he didn’t like someone, it was hard to change his mind. Annabeth was closed off, and didn’t really like talking about herself or her feelings, and could be a hard person to get to know. And now they both considered the Argonauts to be their family.</p><p> </p><p>Leo might not have seemed to change to anyone else, but Jason knew otherwise. Leo had been insecure about his place in the crew for a long time, as an intellect and about his power. Jason could see how Leo had finally learned to accept himself. Maybe he was a bit on the shorter side, maybe he wasn’t a fighter, and his powers scared him, but he more than made up for that. </p><p> </p><p>He was incredibly intelligent, he could get himself and the crew out of any bind. He was starting to reteach himself that his fire powers weren’t a curse. He had grown out of the idea that he ‘didn’t understand humans the way he understood machines’. Leo had grown more compassionate and empathetic. Jason could sense that he had finally stopped running. That was big for him.</p><p> </p><p>As for Jason, he liked to think he was finally finding his sense of self. He had molded his entire personality and skill set to be what the legion wanted him to be, and now, he was finally learning who Jason <em> was </em> outside the legion. And he knew who he was. He was Jason Grace, Son of Jupiter, god of lightning and lord of the skys. Ex Predator of the twelfth legion and Centron of the Fifth Cohort. Defeater of the Titan Krois and the Trojan sea monster. Head of the Zeus cabin at Camp Half-Blood. He likes Jean jackets, tofu tacos, and alternative music. He likes Leo’s calloused hands and warm, brown eyes.</p><p> </p><p>He was Jason, and that’s all he needed to be.</p><p> </p><p>He liked to think he was finally learning not to feel guilty about wanting things for himself. He wanted a future, he didn’t want to be a leader, he wanted to live at Camp Half-Blood, he might even want to date Leo. And he didn’t feel guilty about it.</p><p> </p><p>As for the crew as a whole… they had spent the last leg of their journey collecting supplies for a potion to stop death because they were all equally worried about one another dying. They had gotten used to one another’s living habits and ticks. They operated as a unit instead of under one person’s command. They <em> did </em>feel like a family.</p><p> </p><p>He locked eyes with Leo from across the table. They were the only two who really didn’t have a family before this. </p><p> </p><p>Jason had <em> never </em> had one. Not that he could remember. The pack and then Camp Jupiter… he had always been one with the herd, but he always stood out as “special” because of his lineage, and expected to be better.</p><p> </p><p>Leo lost his at an early age, and Jason suspected he still blames himself for it. His remaining family, his mom's sister, refused to take him in. He had been tossed around in foster care for years, surviving abusive and unwelcoming environments before coming to Wilderness and then Camp. </p><p> </p><p>Jason smiled. Maybe this was what family was supposed to feel like. Leo grinned to his ears.</p><p> </p><p>“I think we should do a group hug.” said Percy.</p><p> </p><p>“Please.” Said Hazel, though her voice was still muffled by Annabeth’s shirt. </p><p> </p><p>Annabeth was stroking her hair gently, “Oh, I’ve started something.”</p><p> </p><p>“C’mon,” said Percy. “Come oooooon.”</p><p> </p><p>He stood up and everyone else followed, and Jason found himself squeezed by six demigods. His family.</p><p> </p><p>And if he cried a bit, that was his business.</p><p> </p><p>End page 378</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 437</p><p> </p><p>Jason had heard of someone’s life flashing before his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>But he didn’t think it would be like this.</p><p> </p><p>Standing with his friends- his family- in a defensive ring, surrounded by giants, then looking up at an almost impossible vision in the sky- Jason seemed to jump several years in the future.</p><p> </p><p>He was in a living room he didn’t recognize. A tv was pitched on a wall, playing static. The walls were moving, like the house was alive, and breathing.</p><p> </p><p>Jason saw himself sitting on the floor. He was wearing a sweater that was pushed up to his elbows and jeans. He looked maybe three to four years older than he already was- like an older college student who was preparing for graduation. He was sitting across from a little girl with wavy brown hair and brown eyes, about twelve-ish years old, maybe younger. She was drawing something on a pad of paper.</p><p> </p><p><em> No, I’m serious </em> . Older Jason was saying. <em> We were standing there, Percy started bleeding, and Gaea woke up. We were surrounded by giants, and the sky opened up, and all the gods came down from the heavens and started blasting stuff. </em></p><p> </p><p><em> All the gods? </em> Said the little girl. <em> Even Lester? </em></p><p> </p><p><em> Yes, even Lester </em>. Older Jason agreed</p><p> </p><p><em> You’re so full of it. </em>Said the girl.</p><p> </p><p><em> Am not! </em>Said older Jason. Another figure walked into the room. An older Leo, with less baby fat in his face and maybe an inch or so taller, wearing brown overalls and a black t-shirt. He was holding three juice boxes. </p><p> </p><p>He sat down next to Jason and handed a juice box to each person. <em> What’s Jason full of? </em> He asked.</p><p> </p><p><em> It. </em>Said the girl.</p><p> </p><p><em> Hey, you were the one who asked for a story. </em> Said Jason.</p><p> </p><p><em> A </em> true <em> story. </em>The girl countered.</p><p> </p><p><em> Wow, </em> said Leo. <em> The tv’s only been out for ten minutes and she’s already reverted to asking for stories. </em></p><p> </p><p>The girl stuck her tongue at him. <em> Leo, </em> said Jason. <em> Would you </em> please <em> tell her that I’m being serious? The gods came out of the sky and helped us defeat the giants. It happened! </em></p><p> </p><p>Leo glanced over at him, smiling. <em> Would you have believed it, if you hadn’t been there? </em></p><p> </p><p>But Jason <em> was </em>there.</p><p> </p><p>End page 437</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 450</p><p> </p><p>“Dangerous,” warned Hephaestus, “Perhaps fatal.”</p><p> </p><p>“We’ll need a plan for when we get there.” Said Annabeth. She tapped the sides of her head almost violently. “Plan plan plan plan… Nike said that we can defeat Gaea the same way the Titans defeated Ouranos. They took him from his pace of power- the sky- and pinned him to the earth. Then they tore him into itty bitty pieces. So uh, we have to take Gaea and put her… in the sky…. and tear her apart? First things first, Gaea’s going to have her whole consciousness at Camp Half-Blood.” She snapped her fingers, a plan finally forming. “Hazel, can you use your earth powers to force Gaea to take form? To put all of her consciousness into a physical form that we can hit?”</p><p> </p><p>Hazel nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay,” Annabeth continued. “How in the world are we going to pin her to the sky? We would need someone to get her up there. Jason... no, that wouldn’t work, she’s a goddess, you wouldn’t be able to hold her on your own. Maybe the Argo… but it’ll have been destroyed. How…?”</p><p> </p><p>Leo cleared his throat. “Not to keep things from you, but uh, I’ve been rebuilding Festus for a while now, within the ship. When the Argo II is destroyed, he won’t be. Maybe I can use Festus to pick Gaea up and hold her there?”</p><p> </p><p>Annabeth took a deep breath, like she was holding herself back from throttling Leo for keeping this from her. “Okay, yes, that’s good. Jason, you follow him up there with Piper, Piper charmspeaks her into submission, maybe you two will be able to chop her up- I don’t know you’ll have to work it out. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay. Um. The Romans and the Greeks are united, but Octavian let a bunch of monsters into the legion and now that they’re not going to fight, they’re start a fight with the demigods. Percy, Frank, you two lead the Greeks and the Romans respectively. I’ll guard Hazel while she does her thing so she can concentrate.”</p><p> </p><p>Athena shone with pride as Annabeth plucked that right out of her head. “Are we all in agreement?”</p><p> </p><p>A chorus of agreements were yelled out.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, back on the ship.”</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Jason stood below deck huddled with the others. The escape hatch was just below them. Hazel held tightly onto Abeona and Bufford the wonder table rattled worriedly. </p><p> </p><p>They could feel when Zeus hit the ship. He felt like he was soaring through light speed. He could hear the winds ripping through the outer skeleton of the ship, right through the wood. He closed his eyes so tight, he saw stars. There was turbulence, the crew banged around the hull like the ball in a game of foosball.</p><p> </p><p>Jason could feel the wind resistance fading away, they were slowing down. </p><p> </p><p>Jason wondered how bad the damage was. The ship hadn’t been completely torn to pieces like he thought it would be, but it must be pretty bad.</p><p> </p><p>Leo opened the hatch on the floor. “Go!” He said. “Now!”</p><p> </p><p>All the demigods lined up for the jump. Jason was last. He saw that wild look in Leo’s eyes. Piper jumped and Jason was next. He hesitated.</p><p> </p><p>“Leo,” he said. “I know you’re planning something. You promised we’d both stay alive.”</p><p> </p><p>Leo stepped toward him, and wind whistled in Jason’s ears. Leo did the last thing Jason expected him to do. He put a hand on Jason’s shoulder and another on the back of his neck, and pulled him down until their lips touched.</p><p> </p><p>The world buzzed around him, and everything faded out until it was just him and Leo. He tasted of chapped lips and scorching winds. He smelt of BO and greese. </p><p> </p><p>The world came back into focus as Leo pulled away, but Jason couldn’t quite put a whole thought together. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m not going to break my promise.” Said Leo, softly. Jason had to strain his ears to hear him. “When will you learn to trust me?”</p><p> </p><p>“I trust you.” Said Jason, his head still fuzzy around the edges.</p><p> </p><p>“Then go.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason did have time to think twice, though he probably couldn’t have if he tried. Leo pushed him toward the hatch and then ran up the stairs, toward where Festus would be.</p><p> </p><p>Jason jumped down. </p><p> </p><p>He was able to tuck and roll when he hit the ground, no time to use the winds. The Argo II looked worse for wear. It’s outer layers had been stripped away, and it was hovering, aimlessly drifting.</p><p> </p><p>Jason found his friends. Hazel ran to him and he met her halfway. “Abeona ran for that house over there,” she said, pointing to the big house. “She’s hiding underneath the porch and won’t come out. Annabeth said that was okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“She should be safe there if she stays.” Said Jason. Now do your thing. We’ll guard you until Leo comes in.”</p><p> </p><p>Hazel knelt on the ground in deep concentration. Jason, Piper, and Annabeth surrounded her, weapons drawn. </p><p> </p><p>Jason took a moment to survey the scene. He saw the Athena Parthenos and Reyna atop it (surrounded by Pegasi?) at the crest of Half Blood hill. Around it, a group of demigods, Greek and Roman, stood against a horde of enemies, monsters, who had become angry at the lack of Greek v Roman fighting. </p><p> </p><p>Percy and Frank rushed toward the group. Frank raised the weapon Jason had taught him to use, a broadsword, into the air, and yelled so that Jason could hear him from this far away.</p><p> </p><p>“<em> Repellere equites </em>! Legion, close ranks!”</p><p> </p><p>The legion obeyed him without question, responding to the authority in his voice.</p><p> </p><p>Reyna smiled down at him from atop her perch in the statue. “Legion, <em> cuneum formate! </em> Advance!”</p><p> </p><p>The legion obeyed orders to a tea, closing ranks and advancing at the horde. </p><p> </p><p>The Greeks looked to Percy. He held his sword, mocking what Frank had done. “Greeks! Let’s um, fight stuff!”</p><p> </p><p>The Greeks yelled like a bunch of wild banshees and charged. Jason smiled to himself; he liked the Greeks. They had no organization whatsoever, but they made up for it with enthusiasm.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, like a chick hatching from an egg, Festus the figurehead emerged from the Argo II, leaving its wooden shell behind. Jason could see Leo atop him. The remaining parts of the Argo II barely resembled a ship, floating with bits and pieces falling from it. </p><p> </p><p>Festus flew overhead in a circle, like a vulture, waiting for its prey. Jason’s stomach churned, he hoped whatever Leo was planning, he wasn’t going to do anything rash. </p><p> </p><p>Hazel hadn’t finished yet, beads of sweat dripped from her forehead. Jason looked down the hill. The battle was in full swing. Reyna and Frank fought side by side. Percy looked back up the hill at the others, clear resignation on his face. Percy was loyal to a fault… but he couldn’t be up here with his friends. It was tearing him up inside. But he knew he had to stick to the plan.</p><p> </p><p>He saw Nico with a blond kid, Will Solace, run off from the fight. Jason wondered where to. </p><p> </p><p><em> AWAKE. </em>A voice boomed all around them.</p><p> </p><p>Hazel seemed to strain with concentration, grunting with the effort. Annabeth held her dragon bone sword tightly. Hazel’s eyes popped open. Suddenly, a figure burst from the ground. </p><p> </p><p>Twenty feet tall, her dress was woven from blades of grass. Her skin was a white as quartz. Her hair was brown and tangled like tree roots, and her eyes were emerald green. </p><p> </p><p>She stood there in disbelief for all of twelve seconds, twelve agonizing seconds, before metal claws grabbed her and dove into the sky. </p><p> </p><p>“That's our que.” said Jason. He grabbed Piper and gave a nod to Annabeth and Hazel, and took off into the sky after Festus and Leo.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Jason and Piper spiraled upward on the wind. </p><p> </p><p>“I’ve got the cure.” Piper murmured like a chant. “It’ll be fine, I’ve got the cure.”</p><p> </p><p>End page 461</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 468</p><p> </p><p>Nico had been ready for a battle against a horde of monsters, but not for what had actually happened. </p><p> </p><p>He had been fighting with Percy Jackson when Will Solace ran up to him and whispered one word in his ear, “Octavian.”</p><p> </p><p>Nico turned to Percy. “I’ve gotta go.”</p><p> </p><p>Percy raised an eyebrow, but nodded, trusting him. </p><p> </p><p>Nico followed Will through the fray. They passed Tyson and his cyclops army who were yelling “bad dog, bad dog!” As they bashed the heads of the <em> cynocephali </em> . Grover Underwood and a team of satyrs danced around with their panpipes, playing harmonies so dissonant that the earthen shelled ghosts cracked apart. Travis Stoll ran past, arguing with his brother. “What do you <em> mean </em>we set the land mines on the wrong hill?”</p><p> </p><p>Will and Nico were almost down the hill when the ground rumbled and a giant, twenty foot tall woman appeared up the hill, where Hazel was.</p><p> </p><p>Nico wanted to run to her, but suddenly, Festus the dragon descended and grabbed the woman- who must have been Gaea, and soared into the sky. He saw Jason grab Piper and follow them up. </p><p> </p><p>“What? How?” Nico stammered.</p><p> </p><p>“No time!” Said Will. </p><p> </p><p>“Right, right.” Nico agreed. They raced all the way down the Will and into the woods. Monsters became less and less frequent. Nico found himself back in the Roman camp. He spotted Octavian by the Ongars. He seemed to be fixing the trajectory, trying to fire it directly at Festus and Gaea.</p><p> </p><p>“Stop it!” Nico yelled. “Octavian, what’re you doing?”</p><p> </p><p>Octavian whipped his head around. His hair was wild, as was the look in his eye. Nico always thought of Octavian as neat and put together, he looked quite the opposite of that, now. “No, you can’t stop me. I have to do this.”</p><p> </p><p>“Do what?” Said Will, his voice gentle despite clearly disliking the man, as though he was used to talking people down. “You’re not talking sense. Step away from the ongar, and we’ll talk.”</p><p> </p><p>“There’s nothing to talk about!” Said Octavian. “I have my orders.”</p><p> </p><p>“Orders?” Said Nico. “From who? Not from you Preator.”</p><p> </p><p>“I do not take orders from my Preator, I am an Augur. I take orders from my patron!”</p><p> </p><p>Nico tensed. He remembered Jason telling him about Octavian, how he was being manipulated by Gaea. How the earth goddess was whispering into Octavian’s ear, disguising herself as Apollo in order to boss Octavian around. Whatever he was going to do, clearly, they had to stop him from doing it- it couldn’t be good.</p><p> </p><p>“Now is not the time for this!” Nico yelled. “Stop blindly following the voice in your head- She’s misleading you on purpose! Would you follow common sense instead for once in your life?”</p><p> </p><p>Will looked utterly lost, but Octavian closed his fist around the lever. “You couldn’t understand. I learned long ago, no one could. You have never been a seer; you would never be able to comprehend the way it feels to have a god inside your head, yelling at you, giving you orders.” </p><p> </p><p>Octavian glared at them. “You can try all you want to convince me otherwise, but I am a good Roman. I followed the path from probatio to Centron to where I am now. I was born a seer, and because of that, my path has been laid out for me. It doesn’t matter what I wanted to be, who I wanted to be, I fit myself best for the legion, I did what was told of me. I became Augur, just as I was expected to. I didn’t throw a tantrum or demand to step down, I did as <em> told. </em> Like a <em> good </em>Roman should.</p><p> </p><p>“An Augur listens to his Patron. When the god Apollo told me to send the legion to topple the black throne of Kronos, I did it. And we won that battle. When the god Apollo told me to wage war against the Greeks or bad things would happen to me, and I didn’t listen, bad things happened! My father died, my mentor revealed himself as a liar. Jason Grace disappeared and then <em> betrayed </em>me, and Reyna abandoned the legion. </p><p> </p><p>“And when I finally did as told, things started to go well. I finally had what I had always wanted; the Preator position. Or, almost. So when Apollo told me to spend all the legion’s money on creating a navy and working with cyclops to supply the legion with ongars and other weapons, I did it. When he told me to hire exiled probatio and monsters into the legion, I listened. When he said to wait until august first to attack the Greek camp, I waited. And now, he tells me to fire an ongar at that dragon. He says I will bring an end to Gaea and be remembered as a hero. Apollo has never steered me wrong before. Why should I ignore him now?”</p><p> </p><p>Nico balled his hands into fists. Octavian was alone, he was lashing out, there was only one person who was there for him right now, and that was Gaea, who was manipulating him into doing what she wanted him to do. Of course he was listening to her, he wanted validation from someone. It reminded Nico of King Minos, and when Nico was at the lowest point of his life after losing Bianca, the king had taken advantage of him and used him. He didn’t like that comparison.</p><p> </p><p>“Apollo wouldn’t <em> tell </em> you to do that.” Said Will. “He’s the god of prophecy, giving direct orders isn’t his style. He gives vague advice for you to interpret. In fact, none of the gods just boss people around like that. Apollo would give you some wiggle room for interpretation. He wouldn’t want you to do this.”</p><p> </p><p>“That doesn’t even make any sense.” Said Octavian, growing frustrated. “Why would someone tell me to do something, and then expect me to do the opposite?”</p><p> </p><p>Nico was reminded of Jason, when they had had an argument in Nortus’s palace and he had said those words almost exactly. Nico didn’t think he could see a jerk like Octavian getting along with someone like Jason, but now, he could see it.</p><p> </p><p>Octavian thought the same way Jason used to. Jason used to think that because he was born a son of Jupiter, he had to become a probatio, Centron, then Preator. That was his path. Octavian thought the same way; probatio, Centron, Augur. But Jason had been yanked from his path in life and shown another way. He learned that he could cultivate his own destiny, learn to be happy, become whoever he wanted to be.</p><p> </p><p>Octavian never got that chance. He stayed in that negative environment until it became his ruin. Octavian thought he could only ever be what people expected of him. Just like Jason used to. And now, it would be his downfall. </p><p> </p><p>“That isn’t Apollo talking to you,” said Nico. “That’s Gaea.” He couldn’t help but try to talk Octavian out of this. He could easily force the Augur away, but he saw too much of himself and Jason in him to do it.</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Said Octavian, “That’s nonsense. Don’t try to distract me.”</p><p> </p><p>But he didn’t pull the lever. He didn’t want to, he wanted an excuse not to.</p><p> </p><p>“Think about it!” Said Nico. “How did Apollo warn you about Krois? Through a vision. He gave you a gentle nudge in the right direction. How did he tell you about the war with Gaea? She spoke to you directly, forcing your hand. That doesn’t sound like the same person. </p><p> </p><p>“She’s been manipulating you! She <em> knew </em>all those bad things would happen because they would have happened whether you did what she said or not. She took advantage of the fact that you were alone and you didn’t know what to do. If you fire that ongar, you’ll take out our only chance of getting rid of her!”</p><p> </p><p>Nico could sense Octavian’s hesitation. His hand trembled on the lever. He looked deeply conflicted. “No, that can't… I’ve been hearing Apollo’s voice in my head since I was a child- I would have known if…” </p><p> </p><p>Thunder cackled, the winds and clouds flurried and danced where Festus and the others were, gaining altitude. Since this was time sensitive, it wasn’t really the time for Octavian to have an identity crisis, Nico took another approach.</p><p> </p><p>“Look; that’s Jason up there, controlling the winds.” Nico yelled above the wind. “If you pull that lever you’ll kill him too. Is that what you want?”</p><p> </p><p>Octavian's face matched that of agony and hatred and loneliness. “Jason chose his side. He and I aren’t friends anymore, we are on opposite sides of a war. I will not let any personal feelings get in the way of doing what’s right. I can’t.”</p><p> </p><p>Well, that had been the wrong approach. Something in his eyes reminded him of an angry ten year old, throwing a tiny statue of his father at the boy who promised to protect his sister and failed. <em> I hate you! I hate you- I wish you were dead! </em></p><p> </p><p>Nico knew better than anyone how love could turn into hatred, easier than any emotion. He wasn’t sure if he could get Octavian to back down.</p><p> </p><p>Will seemed to sense his struggle. “Octavian, you need to step away from the ongar. You’re playing right into Gaea’s hands. If you don’t- we’ll have to take you away by force.”</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t back down. This is what I need to do, this is who I need to be, there has never been another path for me.” Said Octavian.</p><p> </p><p>Nico wished they had more time to talk, he wished he had taken less time to talk and just shoved him away earlier. He wished they hadn’t been in this situation and Octavian had just run away from the battle, but everything had to happen all at once.</p><p> </p><p>Festus burned white hot gold and fire burst everywhere in a loud sonic boom. Octavian- who was already frayed around the edges, jumped. But his hand was already on the lever, and it got pulled down. </p><p> </p><p>That ongar had been one of the ones Cecil had messed up. It began launching, but something popped in the trajectory, and the bridge collapsed, sending the cannonball back down at the machine, causing it to blow.</p><p> </p><p>Something hit his chest hard and Nico closed his eyes tight. He could feel heat on his face from fire, and he managed to pry his eyes open.</p><p> </p><p>Will had tackled him to the ground several feet away from the ongar, which had exploded and was now on fire. Right where Octavian had been.</p><p> </p><p>Nico didn’t need to investigate to find out what had happened to him. He was a son of Hades, and he could sense death.</p><p> </p><p>End page 470</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 471</p><p> </p><p>Nature was more or less back to normal. Apparently, Annabeth’s plan worked. Gaea had been separated from her source of power, charmed to sleep, and then atomized in the power of Leo’s fire.</p><p> </p><p>An immortal could never die, but now Gaea would be like her husband, Ouranos. The earth would continue to function like normal, just as the sky did, but Gaea was now dispersed and powerless and she could never again form consciousness. </p><p> </p><p>At least, that was the hope…</p><p> </p><p>The victory celebration at camp was muted,</p><p> </p><p>End page 472</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 493</p><p> </p><p>Jason should have been happy.</p><p> </p><p>The Romans were in Camp Half-Blood, everyone respected his decision to stay on the Greek side and switch back and forth, and they all wanted to hear his ideas about how to implement all the gods into their temples.</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frank had finally been officially recognized as Preator. Percy had been reunited with his friend, Grover, who accused him of putting him through the emotional wringer via their empathy link. Tyson and Rachel Dare were both happy to see him alive and unhurt as well, and he had plans to call and visit his mom as soon as the Romans left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After being nowhere to be found for two days, Abeona walked into the pavilion while Jason had been eating. Like she had never been gone.</span>
</p><p>She had adjusted to living at camp, and had been hunting for herself. Jason stole a plate from the mess hall (Piper was a bad influence) for his room, so Abeona could eat when she was hungry. She slept wherever she wanted, but she usually snuck into cabins and other places to sleep and hang out, though it was usually the Zeus cabin she was in. Having her here made it less lonely.</p><p> </p><p>There was open seating while the Roman were here, so the Argo crew ate together at mealtimes. They hung around each other all day. It felt… weird… not being around them constantly. He supposed they would all have to get used to living apart and adjusting back to normal life.</p><p> </p><p>The remains of the Argo II sat on the harbor, like a spoil of war. The argonauts collected their items that survived the battle. Jason had most of his stuff spared. All the important things, anyway. His cabin felt even less lonely with all his stuff in it. </p><p> </p><p>He was to be appointed Pontifex Maximus, which was a title that he could live with. He took as much or as little responsibility as he wanted. </p><p> </p><p>He finally had a talk with Reyna, a real one. She was about to depart, and Jason promised to come visit. They could have tea and chat. They had made a habit of doing just that in the week Reyna had been here.</p><p> </p><p>“I know you don’t want to talk about it,” said Jason. “But I want you to know, I care about you. A lot. You’re one of my closest friends, you always have been, and I want it to stay that way. But I was unfair to you, and I’m so sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason didn’t have to elaborate, they both knew what he was talking about. Reyna held his hands between them. “You don’t have to apologize. I get it.” She said. “I would never dream of not being friends with you.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason hugged her tight, and she got into her car.</p><p> </p><p>Saying goodbye to Hazel and Frank had been a <em> lot </em>harder. They had packed into a tightly squeezed group hug. </p><p> </p><p>“You guys better come visit!” Frank said.</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe <em> you </em> shouldn’t leave, ever think about that?” Said Percy. “Maybe you should just stay here!”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve got Preator duties, man.” Said Frank.</p><p> </p><p>“Make sure to visit often.” Jason suggested, trying to blink away tears. “Maybe once every day. Multiple times a day. Maybe.”</p><p> </p><p>“Arion would hate me.” Hazel sniffled.</p><p> </p><p>“Screw Arion!” Said Piper. “I miss you already!” </p><p> </p><p>“Maybe we should just come with you.” Said Annabeth, trying to stay level headed. “We’ll get our college applications done early, and stay in New Rome.”</p><p> </p><p>A car horn honked in the distance, waiting for them. </p><p> </p><p>“We’ll be back this weekend.” Hazel promised. </p><p> </p><p>“And the weekend after that, we’ll go to your place.” Jason agreed.</p><p> </p><p>Frank gave the group a quick bear hug (without turning into a bear) and scampered off before he could start crying again. Hazel ran after him, looking more sad now then she did when she had to say goodbye to Abeona, earlier. She whispered a quick goodbye and jumped into the car.</p><p> </p><p>The four of them waved and called goodbyes until all of the black SUVs disappeared off the horizon.</p><p> </p><p>Jason was alive, he should be happy. But he wasn’t.</p><p> </p><p>No one mourned Octavian. There was no public funeral for him. Jason and Reyna had held a private one, just the two of them. Jason had cried for the first time since everything happened.</p><p> </p><p>Nico had told Jason what had happened to Octavian. What he had said. And Jason hated himself bitterly for not being there, for not being able to help him. Octavian hadn’t been a bad person, he was just a kid. Just like Jason. Jason could have ended up just like him had he not been an argonaut. Jason missed his friend. </p><p> </p><p>And now that Jason had a real family, a good group of friends, he had come to the realization that maybe… Octavian hadn’t been the best friend ever. </p><p> </p><p>He had done his best, but he probably wasn’t the best person to be Jason’s first friend. Octavian had thought that you could be nothing but what you were. That seemed to be a prevalent thought in Camp Jupiter, but nonetheless, it had rubbed off on Jason.</p><p> </p><p>Jason knew better now, and he hoped that with Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter in a partnership, that thought wouldn’t be as prevalent. But that thought had been hammered into Octavian’s head since he was a kid by his father, and it had been his undoing.</p><p> </p><p>Jason wished he had survived, so that Jason could have shown him there was another way. But Octavian had never given that chance, and now he never would.</p><p> </p><p>But <em> Leo.  </em></p><p> </p><p>Gods, <em> Leo </em>. </p><p> </p><p>Jason missed Leo like a phantom limb. He would go to tell a joke to ask what something meant, he would turn, and Leo wouldn’t be there. He felt like a part of himself was missing. </p><p> </p><p>He couldn’t believe Leo had done what he did. Had sacrificed himself to save <em> Jason. </em>That knuckle head. Didn’t he know that Jason would rather perish than live in a world without him? </p><p> </p><p>Everything was muted. He knew his friends felt it too. An integral piece of their family had vanished. They were happy to have one another, but Jason could tell, they all noticed something missing. </p><p> </p><p>It seemed unnecessarily cruel. Jason finally wants happiness. He finally understands his own feelings for Leo and accepts them, and he’s ripped away from him. </p><p> </p><p>It was nearly time to return to their cabins. Jason and Piper were the only ones left at the campfire.</p><p> </p><p>He stared into the fire. The orange glow must have been reflected into his glasses, making them glare. When he looked into that glowing orange heat, he could close his eyelids, and the only thing he would see would be Leo Valdez aboard his dragon, going up into flame, as Jason fell, helpless to save him.</p><p> </p><p>Piper placed a hand on his arm. “I know what you’re thinking about.” She said. “Don’t. It wasn’t your fault.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason disagreed, but he figured that it probably wasn’t best to bring up that argument. </p><p> </p><p>“Leo wouldn’t want you to blame yourself.” She added.</p><p> </p><p>“He also promised that we’d make it out of this <em> alive </em> and <em> together </em> . And we’re definitely not <em> together </em>.” Said Jason. “Leo isn’t one to go back on a promise. He had a plan. He had the cure. I know it’s stupid to hope, Nico said he felt Leo die... but he told me to trust him, and I do. He made a promise. I’m sure he intends to keep it.”</p><p> </p><p>“We won’t stop looking for him,” said Piper. “He’s probably out there somewhere, waiting for the right moment to make a dramatic entrance.”</p><p> </p><p>Jason laughed bitterly. “Right.”</p><p> </p><p>He stared into the stars, and wondered what his life was going to be like now, without Leo Valdez in it.</p><p> </p><p>End page 497</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Start page 498</p><p> </p><p>...empty injector buzzed, whirred, and retreated into a panel on Festus’s neck.</p><p> </p><p>Leo put his hands steady on either side of Festus’s bronze plating. He did it.</p><p> </p><p>“Holy Hephaestus my plan worked!” Said Leo. “I mean, I totally knew it would. I didn’t doubt myself.”</p><p> </p><p>Festus croaked loudly. He sounded tired. How long had Leo been dead for? And how long had Festus been flying? The last thing Leo remembered was realizing what he had to do, kissing Jason (wow, where had that courage come from?), getting Festus up and working, grabbing Queen rats nest, and going up in flames.</p><p> </p><p>“You did good Festus. You did good.” Said Leo. “Did we kill dirt face?”</p><p> </p><p>Festus creaked.</p><p> </p><p>“Heck yeah! Are you all in one piece?”</p><p> </p><p>Festus creaked again. </p><p> </p><p>“Heeeeck yeah! Are our friends okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Festus groaned, like he wasn’t quite sure.</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Leo looked around him for Half-Blood hill or another landmark so they could set down somewhere, but he only saw sea in every direction.</p><p> </p><p>“Festus. Where are we?”</p><p> </p><p>Festus groaned again, unsure.</p><p> </p><p>“How do you not know where we are, you flew us here!” Said Leo. “You were supposed to fly around Long Island south until I got better from dying and then we were supposed to go back to camp. We <em> talked </em>about this!”</p><p> </p><p>Festus creaked and groaned uneasily, like he was saying; “You died and left me in charge! You know what I’m like under pressure!” </p><p> </p><p>A panel on his back opened up and revealed Odysseus’s astrobe, fully intact and operational, working as a navigation system, leading them to Calypso’s island. After Leo had died, Festus probably just assumed that he should follow his fancy new navigation system Leo installed just for him, and Leo wasn’t around to tell him otherwise.</p><p> </p><p>“You dumb fucking dragon.” Said Leo. “How long have we been out here? All our friends probably think I’m dead!”</p><p> </p><p>Festus creaked sadly. Leo patted its head, not that he would be able to feel it. “Okay, I know it’s not your fault. I got a little excited about getting the astrobe to work and installed it in your system early. I should have waited.”</p><p> </p><p>Festus purred in appreciation. “Well. I have no idea where we are. And neither do you. And we don’t know how to get back to Camp.”</p><p> </p><p>The dragon creaked in confirmation.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, looks like we’re going to have to do some things out of order.” Leo decided. “Find Calypso, <em> then </em>go back home and enjoy our success.”</p><p> </p><p>Festus roared, and Leo chugged on into adventures unknown.</p><p> </p><p>End page 502.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Trials of Apollo</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This ones a bit shorter, but the next two are gonna be JUICY so stay tuned</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Every time Calypso and Leo are mentioned to be dating or anyone talks about them dating throughout the entirety of the Hidden Oracle or the Dark Prophecy (or past then) ignore it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start Dark Prophecy page 281</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Meg almost choked in her stir-fry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thalia let out a long sigh. “Oh, yeah. This is going to be an extra fun battle. I’ve only known you for about two hours before this combined, but with the annoying amount of time spent listening to my little brother talking about you, I feel like I’ve known you my whole life and then some.” She said. “The way he talks about you, I really thought you’d be less annoying then the last time I saw you, but nope.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo took out his make-shift fangs in alarm. “I… Jason?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What other little brother do I have?” Thalia asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just…” said Leo, red as a tomato. “He talks about me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thalia looked exasperated. “Good gods, </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> the </span>
  <em>
    <span>time</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I love that kid, but he sounds like a broken record.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Me?” Leo asked once more, uncomprehending.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you.” Thalia confirmed. “I swear, I’ve seen that glitchy hologram of you like, a bajillion times. Because I’m a good sister and I listen to my brother’s problems without judging him. To his face. But like, I get it, your best friend is missing. Get better taste in men.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo stared blankly at Thalia, like she was a complex piece of machinery he couldn’t figure out. “Are you sure?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The huntress face grew very weary all of a sudden, and she turned to Emmie. “How are you stocked for extra arrows? I’m going to need a full quiver just for shooting Leo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 282</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start Dark prophecy page 291</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He blinked as if I’d thrown welding sparks in his eyes. “You do?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Assuming we live through tomorrow,” Apollo said, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>someone</span>
  </em>
  <span> wants to remain at the Waystation.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo smiled sheepishly and pointed at himself. “How’d you figure?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Apollo might have been offended. “I think I have better people skills than you seem to think I do.” He said. “The serious conversations with our hosts? The furtive glances?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, man, I’m not furtive. I’ve got zero furtively.” Leo crossed his arms and leaned back in a bookshelf. “It’s just… Emmie and Jo remind me so much of my mom. The Waystation may be a living building, but it’s almost as high maintenance as Festus. And all that talk about the Waystation being a place for strays and runaways and whatnot, I dunno. I’ve run from foster home to foster home practically my whole life. I have a feeling this place might get me better than any of my other homes did. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Besides, Emmie says I could live like a normal teen in the city, if I wanted. Like, I could go to school. Maybe college, get a degree in engineering. Who knows. Besides, it won’t be like I’m dropping off the radar entirely. I’ll still be doing summers at Camp Half-Blood, and I </span>
  <em>
    <span>need </span>
  </em>
  <span>to visit my peeps Jason, Piper, Frank, and Hazel once this quest is over. Specifically Jason.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Apollo was able to clearly picture Leo Valdez living at the Waystation. Helping Josephine with her projects in her workshop, giving new runaways the rundown about how the Waystation worked, finding new rooms and exploring the limits of his new home, causing mischief and chaos for his new guardians. Yes, Apollo could see Leo fitting in quite nicely here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you?” Apollo turned to Calypso. “What does the future hold for an ex-Titan?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso shrugged. “I’m still thinking it through. I had a long talk with Thalia just now…” she let her sentence trail off, but Apollo had been around long enough to know what a young maiden having a ‘long talk’ with a hunter of Artemis might be about. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I won’t leave anywhere without telling you about it.” She said. “Something tells me the next part of your journey after tomorrow doesn’t include me </span>
  <em>
    <span>or</span>
  </em>
  <span> Leo. But the thing is, we’re worried leaving you on your own, Apollo. We promised to help you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their eyes were so full of concern- concern for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Apollo- </span>
  </em>
  <span>the he had to swallow back a lump in his throat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Six week they had been traveling together. Most of that time, Apollo had wished he could be anywhere else, with anyone else. But with the exception of his sister, had he ever shared so many experiences with someone? He realized- gods help him- he was going to miss these two.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You needn’t worry about me,” he had to force the words out. “I have Meg now, I won’t be alone. And I don’t intend to loose her again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Meg’s a fireball. Takes one to know one.” Leo said. “Point is, </span>
  <em>
    <span>ese,</span>
  </em>
  <span> we’re not going to abandon you. If you need us, holler. We’ll be there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 293</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start The Dark Prophecy page 393</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next morning at the waystation was an early one, but it was worth it. The hunters would be leaving today.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Apollo had arrived down late, and saw Thalia Grace and Calypso talking in low tones. He wondered if they were saying goodbye. He went to talk over but Leo appeared out of nowhere and intercepted him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He puked Apollo over into the next room. “What?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cal has asked me to talk to you and Meg about this because she didn’t want you guys to talk her out of it.” Said Leo. “But she's joining the hunters. She’s been gnawing on it for a while, ever since they got here. It’s kinda ideal for her. No men, no getting your heart broken, having a bunch of badass ladies to be friends with so she’s never alone. She’s gotta have a break from that heartbreak. She triple checked, she asked Jo and Emile for advice, and she really wants to do this. And she’s used to the immortal stuff and self sustaining survival stuff and she’s getting used to fighting, so she thinks she’ll fit right in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow,” said Apollo. Ever since Calypso mentioned having a talk with the hunters about her future, he figured this would be where she decided to go, he was hardly surprised. “Is she leaving right now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going to try and talk her out of it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Apollo shrugged. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh.” Said Leo. “Well, she’s going to head out soon, so we-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hermes?” Said Apollo</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Behind you.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo turned around. Just behind him was a brown cardboard box labeled </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hermes Express</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Woah, when did that get here?” Said Leo. “Can Hermes Express even deliver to the waystation?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hermes Express can deliver anywhere.” Said Apollo. He walked over to the box and, sure enough, his name was written on it. One of the gods- maybe Hermes himself- had sent him something from Olympus. He smiled in anticipation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He managed to get the box open and, inside, was a tiny metal object Apollo would have recognized anywhere.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No way.” Said Leo, leaning over his shoulder. Apollo’s got up and held the instrument between them. “It’s that thing I made!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Valdezinator.” Said Apollo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that.” Said Leo. “Oh dude, that’s so cool. How’d they even get it here? Whatever. I bet you’re going to need it on your quest or something.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Apollo held it, it felt too small for his hands. Like it was made to be held by someone with bigger palms and shorter fingers. He remembered what Leo had said when he had given it to him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It was built for a child of Hephaestus to play, like me, so it might be hard for you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> been hard for him. He couldn’t manage to get a single good sounding not out of the instrument yet. But when Leo had played it, it had made Apollo want to cry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Apollo shook his head. “No. I think I’m supposed to give it to you.” He held it out to him. “Maybe </span>
  <em>
    <span>you’ll </span>
  </em>
  <span>need it on </span>
  <em>
    <span>your </span>
  </em>
  <span>quest.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? It was addressed to you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well alright, then.” Said Leo, taking it from him and putting it in his hoodie pocket. Apollo heard loud footsteps coming down he stairs that only could have belonged to one Meg McCaffrey.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I gotta tell her the news, too.” Said Leo. “See you in a bit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Leo rounded the corner and greeted Meg loudly, Apollo wondered what he could possibly need an instrument for.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 393</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On page 395 of the Dark Prophecy, replace the word “girlfriend” with “friend”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 369 of the Dark Prophecy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I doubt it will be happy, but thanks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Apollo turned to where Calypso had wrapped Leo in a tight hug. “...And if Iris messages are still  down by then, I’ll ride in if Festus to find you.” Leo as saying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso laughed. “Stop worrying! I’ll be fine, I fit right in, here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know,” said Leo. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They turned to Apollo as he walked up to them. Thalia walking off to her ostrich mounts, giving them some space. Calypso pinched his forearm lightly. “Take care of yourself, Lester.” She said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I plan on it.” He sighed. “Tell my sister hello, if you see her. And </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>stay out of trouble.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Me?” Said the sorceress. “You should be more worried about yourself. I’ll see you again?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course, I always ruin my sister’s hunting trips when I’m bored.” Apollo said. “I’m sure we haven’t seen that last of each other.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso snorted. She turned to Leo once more. Apollo recalled that they had been traveling together for nearly five months; that was more than the Argo II had been sailing. Now, who knows when they’d next see one another? Calypso knew she was going where she would finally belong, but that didn’t make this parting any less bitter sweet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She opened her mouth like she wanted to say more, but decided against it. She ruffled Leo’s hair. “I’ll miss you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll miss you too, sunshine.” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso chuckled. She took a hesitant step back, the turned away and walked to where the hunters were waiting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The last I saw of the Hunters of Artemis, they were trotting down South Illinois Street on a herd of ostriches, heading west as if chasing the crescent moon. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 396</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ignore the mention of Calypso on page 398.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the Burning Maze, ignore all mentions of Piper and Jason relationship and subsequent breakup and any awkwardness between them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On page 122 of The Burning Maze, ignore everything from “Jason. Yes.” To ‘I decided to confront the elephant in the room.’ On page 123.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Start page 215 of the Burning Maze</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite all his experiences, was it fair of him to expect him to think logically, and consider everyone else’s feelings, while pondering his own death?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s a bit more complicated than that.” Said Jason. “I’ve already lost so many people. Octavian, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Leo… </span>
  </em>
  <span>even Reyna and Thalia are too busy to hang out with me much. Piper’s my best friend. I don’t know, I just…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His face tightened and he sighed. He looked like a seventy eight year old war veteran trying to talk about his experiences in the body of a sixteen year old. Apollo decided no sixteen year old should be that war weary. “I just didn’t want to lose anyone else.” he managed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Apollo remembered Medea’s words; </span>
  <em>
    <span>The truth was enough to break Jason Grace. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He assumed this had been what she was talking about. Apollo tried to soften his tone. “I understand that. She wouldn’t want </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>to die.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>End page 215</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ignore all of page 218.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ignore everything said about Jason on pages 262 through 265.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the Tower of Nero, ignore Leo’s epilogue.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Fields of Asphodel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you didn’t read TOA, (spoilers) Jason dies! If you didn’t know that, this chapter (and the next one) wouldn’t have made sense.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>(Sometime after The Tyrant’s Tomb.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Being dead was a weird experience. And Jason had done some weird things in his life, but being dead? That was a whole different ball game.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason wasn’t out of existence. He was still existing even though he wasn’t alive. It wasn’t the same feeling as being alive, though. If he had to put it into words, it was like the first five seconds after someone wakes you up early in the morning. Like, you’re awake, sure, but you’re still so sleepy you can barely comprehend anything, and the world around you feels fuzzy, just like your senses and your head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everything felt a bit jumbled, like the underworld was trying to make Jason forget who he was, to find peace, ease away his anxiety about who- what- he was now that he wasn’t living. Like the underworld itself wanted him to let go, forget everything about his past life, and drift peacefully into his next one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Jason was a fighter down to his bones, he wouldn’t let himself give up- even if it might be easier. The older souls in Elysium said that most new souls were like him, and he would learn to give into the sensation. Jason hoped he wouldn’t.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not that Elysium was a bad place to be or anything- it was amazing. It seemed to expand on forever, though you could always find an exit when you were looking for one. Whatever kind of shop or store you were looking for always seemed to appear when you needed it to. You didn’t need to sleep or eat or shower, so there wasn’t any sort of residence. The architecture seemed to shift from Roman to Greek styles, nothing was ever in the same place. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason thought that was maybe so that nothing was permanent or even really noteworthy, so no one would get homesick. It didn’t work. The Roman pillars made Jason miss New Rome, and the Greek pavilions make him think of Camp Half-Blood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t taste or feel anything. Nothing hurt, but nothing felt nice, either. The only thing Jason felt was, occasionally, a dull ache in the two spear puncture wounds in his gut and chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a cheap imitation of life, it was thoughtful, but it was clearly made by someone who had never been mortal, who didn’t know what it meant to live. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason missed living. He missed laying in the field of Mars, the warm sun in his skin. There was no sun in the underworld. He didn’t even really have skin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He missed meals in the dining pavilion at Camp Half-Blood, surrounded by friends and laughter and good food. Jason couldn’t even taste the food here. He could chew and swallow it if he wanted, but he knew it did nothing. The food was made of mist and where he stared too hard, he couldn’t even see it. He couldn’t even feel it in his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh the joy of warm pizza in your hands, a pleasure he had taken for granted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was on no shortage of friends, though. Several of his friends from Camp Jupiter had joined him recently. Dakota, Jenna, Bobby, and many others. (He had met a few new friends too, demigods who knew some of his living friends. Luke, Selina, Charlie, and several others). He enjoyed the company (the only thing really keeping him sane), but he hated that they had to die. He hated they were even here at all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At least he knew Apollo had given him a proper Roman funeral, that was nice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Jason missed his friends who were still alive. Thalia, Reyna, Nico, all of his friends aboard the Argo II. He especially missed Leo; for a number of reasons, but mostly because Jason hadn’t seen him since August. It was March when Jason died, and a fair amount of time had passed since then. (He didn’t know how long, time passed oddly here).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He missed Leo like there was a hole in his chest, like there was something missing. In fact, that ache was the only thing Jason could really feel, it kept him anchored- so Jason found himself thinking about Leo a lot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not that that was hard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Overall, Jason didn’t have a lot of regrets. He regretted not seeing Leo again, but that wasn’t really his fault. The oracle had predicted his death. That was that. And if the only way to see Leo again was to let Piper die… he wouldn’t do it. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>couldn’t. </span>
  </em>
  <span>There were a lot of things Jason was willing to do to see Leo one last time, but that was not one of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Other than that, Jason had a pretty good life. He held out on a lot of normal teen experiences because he was waiting for Leo to return so they could do it together, like they had talked about. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had managed to go to school though. Not quite in the way that he wanted to, but it had happened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been Thalia’s idea. She thought it would be a good idea for Jason to experience normal teenager school, and to do it near where their mother had lived. Piper had been close by, so it’s not like he’d be alone. That’s probably the only reason he had agreed. But Jason knew the real reason she and Chiron wanted him to enroll in school. It would keep him busy, so he would stop frantically searching for Leo. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico had confiscated the glitchy hologram Leo had sent that confirmed he was alive because Jason kept playing it. But honestly- when Percy disappeared, the Camp sent out tons of search parties! He wasn’t being irrational.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or- hadn’t been. Past tense. Because there wasn’t a reason to look for Leo anymore. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only other regret Jason had was Octavian. Maybe Jason hadn't had the best or healthiest mindset back then, but he and Octavian used to be best friends. When Jason had come to Camp Jupiter when he was only six, Octavian was the only person to befriend him. He was the only one who wasn’t intimidated by his status as a son of Jupiter, the only one who treated him like a real person.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the years went on, their friendship became tense- Octavian wanted to become Preator to prove his father wrong about him, and the whole camp seemed to want </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jason</span>
  </em>
  <span> to become Preator. Jason’s inability to say ‘no’ to people who needed him had been the downfall of their friendship.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Jason had been taken away from New Rome, their friendship had been testy. Jason still cared about Octavian quite a lot, and he was sure Octavian felt the same. But neither of them could ignore the fact that Jason was standing directly between Octavian and what he wanted most. And Jason did nothing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Did that make him a bad person? He had intentionally hurt one of his closest friends- he had done the same thing to Reyna when he hadn’t been able to say ‘no’ to her, either. Jason had agonized over that for a while. Leo had said he was being silly- of course he wasn’t a bad person. Jason wished he had that confidence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason didn’t know how he let things get so bad. He was missing seven or eight months before he saw Octavian again. Jason had changed a lot in that time- Octavian had too. Maybe if the Argo hadn’t fired on Camp, Jason could have repaired their friendship. Things could’ve gone back to normal- whatever that was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But by firing on New Rome, he had proven Gaea right in Octavian’s mind. She had told him that Jason would betray Camp Jupiter, and in a way, he had. With Gaea poisoning his mind, convincing him that Jason and the Greeks were the enemy, Octavian had renounced their friendship in Charleston.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason had only seen Octavian in dreams since then. How Gaea, screaming war into his skull, left him stressed and compliant and scared of disobeying. Gaea had turned Jason’s friend into a puppet by masquerading as Apollo and taking advantage of Octavian’s unwavering belief in the gods and how he would have done anything to save New Rome if he believed it were in danger. And how he wanted to prove his father wrong, that he was a capable leader.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he might have been, but we’ll never know, now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico had told Jason what Octavian was like in his final hours. Tired and desperate, broken and beaten down. How Octavian had tried to point an Ongar as Jason. Maybe he had deserved it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason hadn’t exactly been surprised to not see Octavian in Elysium. Disappointed, sure, but not surprised. He had hoped to talk with him, maybe get closure. Dealing with Octavian’s death had been hard, especially because things had gotten so bad between them, in the end. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He figured Octavian would be in the fields of Asphodel, not the fields of punishment. He hadn’t done anything </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>bad. Preator Jenna had warned him about venturing there (he had missed that girl, she had always been nice to Jason), it wasn’t safe for wandering spirits. It had an affect on them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason knew that wandering the fields of Asphodel, not knowing who you were, was the whole point of the fields. But Jenna said it affected even the spirits of Elysium if they stayed down there for too long. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason sometimes wandered around there, hoping to spot him, but never did. He didn’t even know what he’d say if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>see him. Would he beg for forgiveness? Would Octavian yell at him before Jason got the chance? Would Octavian even recognize him? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Probably not. But Jason wanted to at least try.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason didn’t find him the first time he wandered there. He didn’t find him the twelfth time he looked, or even the twentieth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stopped counting. He stopped even caring if he found Octavian. Wandering the fields became somewhat of a daily routine- or, as daily as you can get around here. No one slept, so you couldn’t tell when it was day or night, or when and days had past.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Jason finally did run into him, he hadn’t even recognized him at first.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Many of the spirits of asphodel, because they couldn’t be reborn, were from olden days. Like the renaissance, the dark ages, and even back to ancient Greek times. So when Jason passed by a teenager in a singed toga, he didn’t think to look twice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he did look twice. In Jason’s memory, Octavian had always been perfect and tidy, the picture of a perfect legionnaire. As his spirit walked passed him, Jason felt a pang of guilt. Octavian’s clothes and hair were singed, like he had been burnt to death. His hair was a mess, and his toga was uneven. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Octavian?” He called. Jason wasn’t quite expecting an answer, the spirits in the fields weren’t even supposed to know their own names. As expected, Octavian didn’t turn around. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason- on an impulse- walked forward and grabbed his shoulder, turning him around. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian eyes were unfocused and tired looking. Eyebags under eyebags, looking more stressed than sleep deprived. He stared at Jason as though looking right through him. “Octavian?” Jason asked again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His eyes came into focus, as if only now noticing his presence. He seemed to acknowledge him vaguely, like he was trying to place a face. After a second or so, his face cleared, and he finally </span>
  <em>
    <span>saw </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jason, knowing exactly who he was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason let go of him, taking a step back. He wasn’t sure what to expect now, he hadn’t prepared for this. Octavian took in Jason's presence, and then their location. His face fell when he finally understood what was going on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His gaze is cast to the floor when he finally speaks. “It was Gaea all along, wasn’t it?” He asked. His voice was scratchy and soft. “Like the ambassador of Pluto said.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason unclenched his fists, “Yes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian says nothing more, looking utterly defeated and revolted with himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You couldn’t have known.” Said Jason. “She was messing with your head.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian doesn’t look convinced. “Is New Rome okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason swallows. “From what I’ve heard, they went through a tough battle recently, but you know New Rome. They’re tough.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ex Augur showed the ghost of a smile. “They won’t ever forgive me.” He said it like a fact. Jason couldn’t disagree. Octavian wouldn’t be remembered as a hero, even though Jason knew the truth was much more complicated than that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> forgive you.” Said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You probably shouldn’t.” Said Octavian, rational as ever. “I haven’t done anything to deserve it. I tried to kill you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know.” Said Jason. The space between them cackled with electricity (it wasn’t his powers, he checked), a space Jason wished he knew how to fill. “But I know why you did what you did. I would have done the exact same thing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was an understatement. Jason and Octavian had the same fatal flaw; responsibility and accountability. They had both grown up thinking they were responsible for everyone around them- making sure everyone was okay and safe before tending to their own needs. It created a lack of self identity, of self care.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Being taken by Hera, memory whipped clean, didn’t seem like a good thing to happen to anyone. But in many ways, it was the best thing to ever happen to Jason. It gave him the experience and perspective to see that there was another way. That Jason could care for others while still prioritizing himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian never had that opportunity. His fatal flaw led to his downfall. Had their positions been switched, if he had never been to camp half-blood, Jason would have done that exact same thing Octavian did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Understanding my motives doesn’t mean you have to forgive me.” Octavian told him. Jason shrugged. He didn’t know how much longer he had until he had to leave, and he didn’t want to argue. “You’ve changed a lot since we were friends.” Said Octavian.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason tilted his head to the side in confusion. “Changed how?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“... Just changed,” said Ovtavian.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve changed too.” Said Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian nodded. “Not really in the way that I wanted.” He admitted. “How’d you die? Not in the same battle as me, I hope.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ex Augur sounded so defeated yet strangely calm about this whole ordeal. It made Jason anxious. “No, it was months after that. I was- I made a choice. I saved my friends. But- Octavian- you know where you are, don’t you? You’re in the fields of Asphodel.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian looked out to the swaying tall grass grimly. “I know.” He admitted. “I think it’s best this way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason thought of the amnesia he experienced due to Hera’s meddling in his life. He thought of Octavian moments before he recognized him. He thought of laying down in street corners, forcing himself to think of Leo, his friends, his own death, trying to feel that ache and </span>
  <em>
    <span>remember</span>
  </em>
  <span> who he was. Desperately clinging onto what made Jason </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jason. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He had spent months trying to find out who he was, he wouldn’t forget. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is this really what you want?” Jason asked. “To forget?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian sighed. “I think it’s for the best. I… I don’t want the pain of remembering. Whoever long I was here, I’m not sure. But until you showed up, I was blissfully ignorant. Wandering around, incapable of complex thought, no idea what a horrible person I am. Was. I don’t know. All I know is… I don’t like who I ended up being. My father wouldn’t have liked him either. Nor would have Karlo. I don’t want this burden of remembering. What I did. Who I am.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason could feel Octavian slipping away, drifting farther from the edges of their conversation, wanting to flitter back into blissful ignorance. Jason didn’t want to lose him again. He wanted to make things right. But so much had happened… and it was already too late, wasn’t it? They were dead. He didn’t know what he wanted his last words to Octavian to be, now that he had the opportunity to choose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were my best friend.” Said Jason. There was so much more. Octavian had been his sole comfort in his youth. The only person in Camp he really trusted. But how could he convey all of that so briefly?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you were mine.” Said Octavian. “Maybe you can remember the good times for us, yeah?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll remember.” Jason promised. He remembered, vaguely, his last living words had been something along those lines. Maybe Jason needed to leave, too his brain was getting foggy. His eyes burned with tears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian’s gaze wandered from Jason's face to just over his shoulder, before becoming glazed and unfocused. Then, he walked right past Jason as if he had never been there in the first place.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason stared up at the inky black abyss above his head. The underworld had no sky, only the far reaching cave sealing that was so high, Jason couldn’t see it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wondered when he would see the sky again. He would probably choose rebirth eventually. Not soon, of course. He would wait until he could see his friend again (no matter how long it took). </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason promised himself, the first thing he did when he finally returned to the mortal realm, if he could, would be to look at the stars.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hahaha ANYWAY<br/>Enough angst! Time to get to that happy ending, right?? The next chapter things get better, I promise. I had to close up the Jason/Octavian plotline. Haha.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Song of Orpheus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“That just sounds so crazy.” Piper said. Her newly chopped hair fell in her face as she ignored her breakfast. “I hadn’t even gotten used to the fact that Jason was gone and now… you’re saying we could get him back?”</p><p>Leo hadn’t eaten his breakfast burrito either. “I know, it sounds impossible.” He agreed. “We don’t have to do it.”</p><p>“No, no,” she said, holding up her hand, “I want to do it. It’s just really hard to process.”</p><p>“Well that was a quick turnaround.” Leo remarked.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>OKAY ITS DONE it’s done we’re done I’m done. Haliluga or however u spell it. Why was this chapter so hard to write. I am very happy with it though, and I hope you like it too ❤️</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Leo knew he was dreaming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could tell because he remembered being in bed half a second ago, and now, he was standing in a school bus. Specifically, right at the door, facing outside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The landscape was barren orange clay. Leo turned around to look behind him, but no one was in the bus, it was abandoned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stepped outside and took a look around. There was no road, no parking lot. He saw a tan building in the distance- a museum perhaps. It looked familiar. There was a metal railing up ahead. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo was drawn to that first. He trotted over to it, and peered over the ledge. It was hundreds of feet across, and even more feet deep. He recognized where he was immediately- he was at the Grand Canyon. This had been where he had met Jason. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo tried not to think about Jason these days, but that was impossibly hard. Leo had been looking forward to seeing him again for months, but he had gotten here too late.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The worst part? Leo had sworn on the river Styx that the two of them would be safe and </span>
  <em>
    <span>together </span>
  </em>
  <span>after the Gaea quest was over. And Leo had failed him. He had went to find Calypso instead, and he failed to complete the second part of the promise. He didn’t have any proof, but Leo knew that breaking that promise, that had been the thing to get Jason killed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which meant that Jason’s death was Leo’s fault, just like his moms’ was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which was why he tried not to think about it. Jason wouldn’t want him thinking that way, blaming himself, even if it were true. And his mother’s death was Gaea’s fault, not his.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it still hurt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not thinking about it was especially hard when it had only been a few months ago. Jason had died at the end of March, and it was almost the end of May. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo wished he at least had a chance to say goodbye- or talk with him about that kiss in the Argo. Leo never had an opportunity to explain. Piper had told him that Jason had felt the same way Leo did, and now, they’d never get the change to even discuss it. It just didn’t seem fair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, he noticed a figure standing directly next to him, making him jump. She was an older woman, maybe in her fifties. She had pale skin and dark hair in a high, intricate bun, though several hairs fell from it, making her look disheveled. She wore mourner’s clothes. A black dress and veil. She had dark circles under her eyes, which were bloodshot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo wondered if this is what he looked like to others, and vaguely told himself to ask for makeup tips from Piper’s half siblings when he woke up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman turned to him, and Leo recognized her immediately. “Hera?!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The goddess smiled sadly at him. Leo’s first instinct was to punch her in the face. This was the woman who had ruined Jason's life, taken months away from Percy’s life, and was the bane of Annabeth and Thalia’s existence. And those were his </span>
  <em>
    <span>homies</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But then he remembered Apollo describing the last time he had seen Hera at the Olympian meeting after he had become a god again. Hera had been angry and overall depressing, still mourning Jason, more than even his father, Zeus/Jupiter was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo decided to hold off for now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello, child.” Said Hera.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is there a specific reason why you’re in my dreams?” Leo asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No no,” said Hera, in that specific time of voice that actually meant ‘yes there is, but I’m not going to tell you because I like to be difficult.’ “I was just thinking… about my champion. Jason Grace. You two were close.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo balled his hands into fists. Hera already knew the answer to that question. Had she just come here to torture him? Leo could tell he hadn’t dreamed her up, this was the real goddess. Had she created this dreamscape for him? To remind him of Jason? This seemed unnecessarily cruel, even for Hera.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” He managed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She leaned against the rail. “On a completely unrelated note, do you know the myth of Orpheus?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo squinted at her, getting whiplash from the abrupt change in conversation. “Uh. I think so?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hera tilted her head, waiting for Leo to explain. “Uh, so, there was this Orpheus guy. He was a musician or something. He had this girlfriend who died. And he uh, bargained with Hades or something to get her back, but failed because he looked behind him, I think.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, that’s the gist of it.” Said Hera. “Orpheus found a secret passage to the underworld- later called the Gate of Orpheus. His music was so overwhelmingly sad, that monsters and gatekeepers alike moved aside to let him through. He convinced Hades to release his love, Erudice from the underworld by appealing to Persephone, because she’s a sucker for a good love story. He let Erudice out in one condition- she would follow him silently, and if he looked behind him to see if she was following, she would stay in the underworld forever. He just had to trust she was behind him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And he looked?” Leo guessed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That he did.” Hera confirmed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What does this have to do with anything?” Leo asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t.” Said Hera. “I’m not suggesting anything. Because if I was, my husband would be very upset, don’t you think?” She shifted subject again. “Hey, did you know the Gate of Orpheus moved to New York as well? I think your friend, the son of Hades, knows it’s location. He could probably lead you into the underworld there, he’s done it before.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A nervous flutter went about in his stomach. “Are you suggesting-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am not suggesting </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Said Hera. “I am simply making conversation. Completely unrelated, didn’t you invent an instrument? Your friend, the child of Aphrodite, has a very lovely voice, don’t you think?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo crossed his arm, his head trying to process the possibility. “Why would you help me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hera looked off into the distance. “I don’t have demigod children. The only two sons that I do have, Ares and Hephaestus, they both hate me. Jason Grace was not mine, but Jupiter gave him to me to appease my anger about him cheating on me yet again, so I named him after my favorite hero. The original Jason was my champion, too. Champion heroes are the only thing to mortal children I will ever get. And maybe I don’t quite understand compassion like you mortals do, but Jason Grace deserved better. He deserved to live. And, well, there’s not much I can do about it. Zeus has forced my hand.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She turned to him with a kind smile he didn't really associate with the Queen of the gods. “You should wake up, I can’t linger here much longer. Good luck, hero.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And just like that, Leo’s eyes snapped open.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper stabbed her oatmeal in contemplation. Leo again remembered why he couldn’t be a vegetarian, just being near that slop was making him nauseous. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t sound like Hera.” She said. “Are you sure it was her?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I would know when a goddess invades my dreams, Pipes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The chatter around the dining pavilion at camp felt like background noise as the two friends ate breakfast together that morning. As it would be June tomorrow, the camp was, once again, full of demigods. Some campers were still bandaged up from the recent battle against Nero in the city.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo had settled into his life at the Waystation when summer had creeped up on him once again. He already strangely missed Jo and Emmie, even Gorgie and Lit and the other Waystation kids he didn’t know all too well yet. But Leo had missed Camp Half-Blood more. He had already made arrangements to stay at camp over the summer, and at the Waystation during the year.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was sure Piper was similarly home sick, as she had just settled into living in Oklahoma. She said her father had been doing okay, but Leo could tell she was still worried about him, all alone. Though the only reason she was willing to stay at camp all summer was that her uncles and cousins would be there for him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo thinks after the crazy year and a half they’ve had, they deserve to have a nice, relaxing summer at their murder camp. Though, with Leo’s dream, it didn’t seem to sound all that relaxing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Only thanks to open seating was Leo able to sit down with Piper and talk about everything. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That just sounds so crazy.” She said. Her newly chopped hair fell in her face as she ignored her breakfast. “I hadn’t even gotten used to the fact that Jason was gone and now… you’re saying we could get him back?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo hadn’t eaten his breakfast burrito either. “I know, it sounds impossible.” He agreed. “We don’t have to do it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no,” she said, holding up her hand, “I want to do it. It’s just really hard to process.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well that was a quick turnaround.” Leo remarked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, what do you wanna do?” She asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo stared at his plate. “I want Jason back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And so do I.” Said Piper. “But is this like, feasible? Is this a thing we can actually do?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo shrugged. “Orpheus did it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Orpheus failed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So we just don’t turn around! Easy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper tapped her chin. “This sounds way too good to be true. There’s gotta be a catch.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s multiple catches.” Said Leo. “We gotta convince Nico to help us, we have to convince Chiron to let us leave, we have to convince Hades to let us try to save Jason, and we have to not turn around when we’re leaving. Oh, not to mention that we actually have to- I don’t know- walk through the underworld.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That sounds more like our luck.” Piper surmised. “Let’s start with Nico. He cared about Jason just as much as we did, he’ll probably help us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see why not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Problem was, today was open seating, and Nico could be literally anywhere. The two of them ate the rest of their breakfast in relative silence before going to look for him, then realizing he probably wasn’t in the dining pavilion, because he didn’t like to eat breakfast. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which meant they had to walk around the whole camp looking for him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After an hour or so of skipping camp activities (this was </span>
  <em>
    <span>important </span>
  </em>
  <span>okay!), they found him on the beach, soaking wet, by the remains of the Argo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After Leo returned, he was told that all that remained of the ship after the battle with Gaea was docked in the waters right off the beach. And what was left was basically a skeleton. It hurt Leo to see his once prized machinery in such horrible condition. Leo could have fixed it if he wanted to, but he thought that it wasn’t really worth the effort, and it wouldn’t have been the same without Festus, anyway. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico was standing underneath the prow. It reminded Leo of the original argonaut Jason’s death, how he was killed by a piece of rotting wood from the original Argo that fell on his head, years after the actual quest. “Hey! Nico!” Leo called as the two of them approached.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The son of Hades didn't seem happy to see them. He was rarely happy to see Leo, and Leo was ninety percent sure that it was because Leo annoyed him. But Leo couldn’t be one hundred percent sure about anything with this kid, he was too weird for Leo to figure out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His hair had gotten longer since the last time he’d seen him, black locks constantly falling into his eyes. He wore the regular orange Camp Half-Blood shirt, which made him look more cheerful. Then he had black jeans and a grey jacket tied around his waist. He looked at them through thick hair. “What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dude,” said Leo, stopping right in front of him. “What happened to you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nanaids tried to drown me.” Said Nico.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oof,” Piper sympathized, “That happened to me once. Not fun.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep.” Nico agreed, somewhat awkwardly, not knowing how to continue the conversation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyway,” said Piper. “What do you know about the Door of Orpheus?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico stared at her like he was having vivid flash backing to something cringey he did as a kid. “Things.” He said. “Don’t ever listen to anything Percy says about anything. Why do you want to know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I had this dream-“ Leo began.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s complicated.” Said Piper, cutting him off. She spoke with confidence, which meant that Leo should probably just let her do that talking. “A goddess told us to look for the door.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico raised an eyebrow. “So… like a quest? Have you talked to Chiron about this? Do I have to go? Because I’d rather not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Our explanation is longer, so you should probably go first.” Said Piper, her voice heavy with charmspeak. Leo didn’t know why she bothered, Nico was gay, it wouldn’t work on him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Nico shrugged. “It’s in Central Park. There’s a cluster of rocks just north of the pond, you can’t miss it. You have to sing something to get it to open. I don’t have to go, do I?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to come.” Said Piper. “But it’s be really helpful if you did.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you have to do in the underworld, anyway?” Nico asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper gestured to Leo. “Leo had a dream with Hera in it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico turned his gaze to Leo in a way that made him want to hide behind Piper until the conversation was over. It didn’t help that Nico was an inch or so taller than him now. Hazel was almost taller than him too, it just wasn’t fair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hera?” Nico asked suspiciously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, we don’t like her.” Said Leo. “But hear me out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo spent the next minute or so explaining everything that Hera had told him in his dream, sparing no details. Leo, for one, didn’t really trust Nico. But Jason had always had a soft spot for the son of Hades, and Jason was a good judge of character. When Leo was done, Nico looked almost uncomfortable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you guys want me to help you.” Nico surmised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You sound hesitant.” Said Piper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know we’re all really upset about… this.” Said Nico. “I’m upset too. But, take it from someone who both successfully and unsuccessfully brought someone back to life, this isn’t the best way to grieve.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo vaguely knew the story about Nico's older sister. How he had visited her in the underworld constantly after she died. How, after the Doors of Death had been broken, he had tried to take advantage of that and convince Bianca to return with him to the living world. Bianca had chosen to be reborn, so Nico would be able to move on instead of keeping holding on to her, and Nico had taken Hazel back to life instead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dionysus says you can’t keep visiting people in the underworld who have died, it isn’t a good coping mechanism.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And suddenly you’re Mr. Mentaly Healthy?” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico glared at him. “I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>trying </span>
  </em>
  <span>to be. And you’re making it a little difficult. Look. Being realistic, your plan has a very low success rate. I’m not going to give myself some sort of twisted hope that I can get my friend back, only for it to backfire and hurt me even more. I’m trying not to use- for lack of a better term- underworld-y stuff to cope with grief anymore. If I helped you, it would be backtracking.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo wanted to argue, but the kid had a point. It’s not like Leo could disagree without being a hypocrite, anyway. Leo was trying to avoid backtracking in the strides made in his mental health, too. He knew how hard it could be. Leo was constantly catching himself bad mouthing himself in his own head, thinking he was useless, a burden, a seventh wheel, blaming himself for his mother’s death. It was hard to focus and actively try to be better. Worth it, but hard. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t recommend either of you go on this quest, either. My father’s realm is notoriously difficult to navigate. You could get lost, or hurt.” Nico continued. “And Chiron probably won’t let you go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo sighed. “I get why you don’t want to go, man, but we’ve got to at least try-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re absolutely right, Nico.” Said Piper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He is?” Leo asked, bewildered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, he is.” Said Piper, side eyeing him, in a way that communicated </span>
  <em>
    <span>shut up and follow my lead. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“This quest was a long shot anyways. It’s just not worth it to get our hopes up about Jason possibly coming back. We’ll drop it now. Thanks anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She steered Leo away from the conversation (and a very confused Nico). When they were far enough away, Leo dug his feet in. “What was that?” He said. “I thought we were doing this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We are.” Said Piper. “But if Nico’s not on board, we have to make him think we’re not going. Otherwise, he’ll tell Chiron, and he’ll stop us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oooh, so you lied.” Said Leo. “But wait, don’t we have to get approval from Chiron to leave the camp?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, yeah.” Said Piper. “But he’d never let us. We’ll have to sneak out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo grinned. He loved getting into shenanigans with Piper. “We could take Festus.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think people would notice if a giant bronze dragon takes off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I don't have any other modes of transportation on me.” Said Leo. “Unless you’re hiding a Maserati in your back pocket.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper’s face lit up, like a light bulb turned on in her head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t actually have a-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.” Piper clarified. “But you know Argus?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lots of eyeballs, works at camp but I have no idea what he actually does?” Said Leo. “Yeah, I know him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s head of security.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s security?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper sighed. “One of his jobs is to drive people to their quests. Which means…?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“... He doesn’t really need the title ‘head of security’?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.” Said Piper. “It means he has a car.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right.” Said Leo. “Oh, we can steal it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was thinking I could get him to let us borrow it.” Said Piper. “You know. Charmspeak.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I like my idea better.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper flicked him on the ear. “Do you have your instrument on you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Valdezinator?” Leo asked. “Right here.” He patted his tool belt. He’d be keeping it in there ever since he got it back from Apollo. He wasn’t sure when he’d need it, so he just kept it on him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good.” Said Piper. “Because I suspect we have about twenty minutes at most to get out of here before Nico talks to his boyfriend about that conversation and they have enough brain cells to realize I was lying and they go to Chiron about it. Now let’s hit it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was surprisingly easy for Piper to convince Argus to “lend” them his car. He was hiding it out pretty far into the woods. Leo figured he must have a good hiding spot for the Hermes kids to have not found and stolen it yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took over an hour to get into the city, and another hour to find parking. That gave Leo plenty of time to agonize about the quest, and realize how little time Piper and Leo spent making this incredibly important decision.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But to be entirely fair, this was exactly something Leo would do. He had thwarted a prophecy to save Jason from death and almost died himself. There wasn’t much Leo wouldn’t do to keep Jason safe. Would Leo’s friends be that quick to come save </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yes, they would. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Leo’s inner Leo scolded him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Your friends searched for you for months while you were missing. Stop being insecure, now's not the time.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They finally found parking, and had to walk, like, fifteen blocks to get to Central Park. But that’s New York City for you. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nico said it was just north of the pond, right?” Piper asked as they took a brisk stroll through the trees.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“By a cluster of rocks, yeah.” Leo confirmed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sun was bright and the day was warm without being overbearing. A perfect day to visit Central Park. A lot of mortals had come by for that exact reason. It unnerved Leo, how perfect this day was, verses their task. It felt ironic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This looks like the spot.” Said Piper. The spot being a cluster of rocks right where Nico said it would be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This feels too easy.” Said Leo. “Let’s hurry it up with the song so we can get to the depressing part.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper squinted suspiciously. “Don’t you think I’ll attract attention if I start singing out of nowhere?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe I should light myself on fire to scare people off.” Leo suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper snorted and flicked him on the side of the head. Maybe it wasn’t kosher to be making jokes about the current situation, but one of them had to do it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper closed her eyes and belted out the chorus to Ribs by Lorde, which was what had been playing in the car earlier. Her charmspeak had gotten unspeakably (ha) powerful. Leo’s knees almost buckled underneath her honey sweet voice. The boulders trembled. After the second go around of the chorus was over, they cracked open revealing a triangular crevice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh.” Said Leo. He walked up to it and pleared inside. It looked like it would barely fit the two of them. Old stone steps led down to darkness. Immediately, Leo’s nose filled his mildew and death. Not his favorite combination. He was starting to wonder if this was a good idea.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s for Jason. He had to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo took his Valdezinator out of his pocket and with his other hand, started a fire so they could see. “I’ll go first.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If Piper hadn’t been there, Leo probably would have gone insane. The downward spiral seemed to go on forever, Leo’s fire was the only light. After the first hour, he was starting to worry if he had just been led into a trap. He wondered if Nico would do that. Nah.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Soon Leo began to hear a river running somewhere below them. Eventually, they reached the bottom and emerged into the underworld. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They emerged at the base of a cliff, on a plain of black volcanic sand. On the right was a river, which Leo assumed was the river Styx, it gushed from the rocks and roared off into the distance, looking as though it cascaded on forever. On the left, far away in the gloom, burned the fires of Erebus, the great black walls of Hades domain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guess we’d better head in that direction?” Said Leo, pointing to the source of the fires.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper looked pale. “Yep.” She agreed. “I’ll start singing, and you pull out that instrument of yours. Hopefully once we start making music, we’ll know where to go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo reached into his tool belt and pulled out the Valdezinator on his first try. He cranked a few gears, trying to remember how he did it the first time, and music began to come out of it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The tune was familiar yet distinctly different. It still sounded like the wind chimes outside the Zeus cabin, bittersweet and melancholy. It sounded like the whisper of a promise, the cackle of thunder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But now, it sounded almost desperate, like a lost, lone wolf, howling at the moon, hoping its pack would come find it. Leo could almost see his unnaturally blue eyes, he could almost taste the only kiss he had ever given him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper was staring at him, eyes wide.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know it would sound like that.” Said Piper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be surprised,” said Leo, “I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> musically talented. Now start singing, Beauty Queen. I’d rather get there as soon as possible.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper nodded, then cleared her throat. She sang the same Lorde song she had been singing earlier, probably because it was still stuck in her head. Still, it filled Leo with nostalgia. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo led the way, farther into the underworld. The sand crunched under his ratty shoes. He hoped he was leading them in the right direction. After round three of the same song, Leo started to notice that everything in the underworld was trying to get away from the two of them. The sand, if he looked close enough to notice, was tumbling away as if being blown. The shadows seemed to part, like it was trying to get away from them. It was making a path clear enough for Leo to follow, this must have been how Orpheus found his way to Hades place. At least, Leo hoped that’s where this was leading him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They approached a large gate, with the words EZ-DEATH written on it. Piper stopped to take a breath. “This must be the entrance.” She guessed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah I-“ Leo began. He was cut off when a cluster of smoke pulled together in the form of a gigantic three headed dog, and solidified into what was clearly Cerberus.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Holy Hephaestus!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Leo shrieked. The dog snarled at them, and Piper suddenly began singing Yellow Bus by the beetles. Leo was so dazed by her voice, he forget that he was probably supposed to be helping.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He snapped out of it, and pulled a couple more levers of his Valdezinator, making it louder. The monster dog stood stunned for a moment. Then he whimpered, covering his ears and sitting down. As Piper finished her song, Leo could see fat tears streaming out of his six eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo felt both awful- for making the dog cry- and confused- that song wasn’t that sad. Piper motioned for him to follow her around the giant monster, to the gates. Leo helped her push them open, and they walked inside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe that worked.” Said Piper. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I sure hope our luck holds up.” Said Leo. “But let’s not jinx it.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Agreed.” Said Piper. “Let’s keep moving.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sand turned into tall, yellow stalks of grass that parted in a distinct path for them to follow. Piper cycles through the five Beatle songs she knew. As he and Piper walked past, spirits blinked their eyes in confusion. Going from void and completely emotionless, to sobbing uncontrollably. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo figured they were in the fields of Asphodel, and these must be the spirits. He wondered if his and Piper’s music was strong enough to make them remember who they used to be. It was strong enough to make them all sad, at least.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The fields of Asphodel seemed to stretch on forever. Leo wondered if time here worked the same way it did in real life and, if it did, how long had they been down here? Five hours, at least. Maybe more. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, long enough for Leo to hate the Beatles, the grass began to thin, and was slowly replaced for rocky, volcanic flooring. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could hear the tormented screams before entering the field of punishment. He assumed they’d get louder as they approached, not quieter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But they did. As the two demigods approached the fields of punishment, Leo didn’t actually see much punishment going on. Mortal souls stopped doing painful, mindless tasks and broke down stabbing. Even the zombie/ monsters who were supposed to be flaying damned souls for their sins, sat down and held their heads in their hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo had known that Piper’s charmspeak had gotten powerful lately, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>dang. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The farther into the fields of Punishment they went, the hotter and more unbearable the air became. The smoke that fizured from the ground parted their way farther into the depths. That’s when Leo heard the shriek.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He turned up to see three old ladies with wrinkled bat wings flying overhead, shrieking at them. They landed right in the demigod’s path. They must have been the fates.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stop that racket!” The one in the middle said. “It’s impossible for anything to get done when you're making everyone cry hysterically!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re the fates, right?” Said Leo, trying to sound calm and collected instead of panicked. “If you just took us to Hades, we would stop.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The lady on the right flexed her talons. “I’d rather tear you to shreds instead.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just as the fates were about to pounce, Piper belted out Mr. Loverman by Ricky Montgomery. And that song was already sad, Leo had almost forgotten where they were when Piper sang it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tears pricked on the edge of his vision, he almost gave in before remembering that he was supposed to be helping. He twisted and pulled at his machine, calling out an even more melancholy tune.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three ladies shrieked again, clawing at their ears and sobbing. Leo was only not in the same state because Piper’s charmspeak wasn’t being directed at him. Even then, he felt like tiny pincers were nipping at his soul.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As her song came to a close, Piper held her head in her hands, woozy from exertion. Leo grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the fates, back in the path, as far away from danger as he could get her before sitting her down on a flat rock.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You okay, Pipes?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She rubbed at her eye, clearly tired. “Yeah,” she lied, “I can keep going. I have to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo wasn’t going to argue with that second statement. Staying here was probably more dangerous than going back, at this point. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Soon, they were on the move again. Piper’s voice joining Leo’s music. They got to the more harsh punishments, though Leo couldn’t tell what was what, since no one was doing anything except crying. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He saw several confusingly complex contraptions built for some form of torture, but the only souls there were being tortured by good tunes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His legs were starting to hurt from hours of walking. Piper took breaks between songs, her energy clearly spent. Leo wondered if they were having dinner back at Camp Half-Blood, and if anyone noticed they were gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Volcanic ash turned into harsh gravel, and tortured souls became less and less frequently spotted until there were none at all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, Leo spotted a structure up ahead. “You don’t think that’s…?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper squinted, pushing her newly short hair from her eyes. “Hades palace? Probably.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guess we’d better go inside, huh?” Asked Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep, probably.” Piper agreed. “We’ll have to bring our A game.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which means?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll have to sing the saddest song I have in my arsenal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh boy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep.” Piper agreed. “Let’s go kick some ass.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were a dozen zombie guards at the entrance of the palace. None of them tried to stop them. When Piper and Leo approached the doors, Piper sang the chorus of a Billy Joel song, and they dropped their weapons. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Open the doors for us, please.” She commanded. And they did. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No one tried to stop them as they walked down the hallowed halls. Leo cranked knobs and levers on his Valdezinator, trying to get the best sound. The ghosts and ghouls covered their heads, trying to block out the noise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They finally found Hades after asking several staff personnel (Piper asked) on the fourth floor balcony (four sets of stair cases… now that was truly evil), which happened to be the largest garden he had ever been in. And that’s saying a lot, Leo had been in Calypso’s garden. Though, this garden lacked sunlight. It made up for it, though. Every flower and rose bush was made entirely out of jewels and precious stones. Leo almost froze in place. He could stay here forever, just admiring it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But they kept walking. Past a neatly trimmed emerald hedge, stood two gods enjoying an afternoon stroll. They almost didn’t notice Piper and Leo at first. Then Persephone stopped walking, and tugged Hades sleeve. The older god stopped in his paces as well, obastian eyes setting furiously on them. He did resemble Nico a little bit. That is to say, Leo was terrified.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before anyone could do anything, Leo cranked knobs and pulled levers on his machine and held it up. He knew the Valdezinator relied on emotions to turn into music, so Leo dug deep down into that tiny box in the back of his head where he pushed away all the bad thoughts he didn’t want to think about.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He felt like he was poking a sleeping manticore with a ten foot pole as jarringly melancholy music filled the gardens. Piper barely reacted. If she did, Leo didn’t notice. She reached deep down and belted out Olivia Rodrigo’s Drivers License.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo, personally, didn’t listen to that song often enough to know all the lyrics. He didn’t listen to it enough to know what it was about, really. Not being able to use technology regularly did that to you. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But all of that was thrown out the window when Piper sang. Throwing all of her charmspeak into her voice, she was able to compose an emotional tale of loving someone, and then loosing them. Reopening that cut every day, when something reminds you of that person, and they’re not there. The song itself was already pretty sad, but Piper had taken it out of its romantic context without changing any of the words, and somehow, made it even more heartbreaking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she finished, The two gods were crying silently. Persephone was covering her mouth and Hades ignored his tears entirely. “Who are you, mortal? And why have you brought this song to me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper stood tall, though Leo was close enough to her to see her shake. “My name is Piper McLean, and this is Leo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Valdez.” Leo added helpfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Piper continued. “We’re here for our friend, Jason.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hades raised an eyebrow at them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Grace.” Added Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hades narrowed his eyes. “You should know I take my job very seriously. I don’t just </span>
  <em>
    <span>let</span>
  </em>
  <span> mortal souls out of the underworld.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All we’re asking for is a chance, Lord Hades.” Said Piper, charmspeak leaking through her voice. She looked exhausted from using it all day. “You’ve given chances before. Like Orpheus.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hades threw his hands up. “Good gods that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>one time!</span>
  </em>
  <span> One! Time! Like, a thousand years ago. Maybe more than that, I don’t really care. And he was really depressing!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So he like, fit your vibe?” Leo asked. Piper shot him a warning glare to knock it off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Husband,” said Persephone, is a soft voice that made Hades give her his full attention. “These heroes have come all this way… you heard their song. They care so much for their friend. Would you at least let them try?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Lord of the Dead tried desperately to retain a frown, and resist. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jason was your son’s friend, too.” Leo added, hoping to push him just a bit farther. “Nico. Di Angelo. Your son. I bet losing a close friend so soon after losing his sister has got to hurt pretty bad. If you cared about that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo wasn’t sure that would work, Leo’s own godly parent hardly know Leo’s name… but Hades didn’t have many godly children, so it may be different.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Persephone clasped her heart dramatically, like “oh no! Not the child!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hades groaned as if they had finally twisted his arm too far. “Fine. Fine. I will give you the same allowance I gave Orpheus.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo turned to beam at Piper, who grinned right back. Leo’s heart beat fast in his chest, he was so close, they had so much to lose. This had to be done right.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know the rules.” Hades addressed the two demigods. “I will pull your friend’s soul from where he rests. You walk out from where you came, and he will be right behind you. He will be invisible, and make no noise. You won’t be able to feel his presence. No living or dead soul will be able to tell you if your friend is following. He is allowed to leave your side at any time, and you’d never know. I’m allowed to throw as many obstacles and tricks in your path as I want. If you make it back outside without looking behind you, you win. Your friend will be returned to life, no strings attached. If you look behind you to check to see if your friend is there, you lose. Your friend’s soul will belong to me, forever. He will not be reborn. He will forever reside in the underworld. Do we have a deal?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Woah.” Said Leo. “That’s… that’s a lot more rules than I remember there being. I uh, I don’t remember that last part.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do we have a deal?” He repeated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo locked eyes with Piper. He knew that look on her face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>We have to do this. We’ve come too far to give up, now.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo nodded. She turned back to the gods. “Deal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright.” He said, resigned. “Which one of you will be accepting the challenge, then?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I…” Leo began. “What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, Orpheus was alone when he did this challenge. That’s half the fun of it.” Hades explained. “Besides, I’m giving you the same allowances I did to Orpheus, that was the deal. Orpheus was alone, therefore only one of you can compete.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo flinched involuntarily. “And what happens to the other one?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll send them back to the mortal realm,” he shrugged. “Right where you entered.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can we… talk about this?” Piper asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have three seconds.” Said Hades.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Minutes?” Persephone suggested. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine. Minutes.” Hades agreed. “But don’t push it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper pulled Leo a foot or so away and they formed a football huddle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Leo began, “so obviously, my vote is you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Normally, I’d agree with you.” Said Piper. “But charmspeak requires a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot </span>
  </em>
  <span>of energy, and quite frankly, after using it all day, I’m exhausted. I don’t know if I trust myself to be able to do it alone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What if I whipped out some ambrosia or nectar?” Leo suggested. “Do you think you’d be able to do it then?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s for healing injuries, not a sleep replacement.” Said Piper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dang, no wonder I still feel exhausted after pulling all nighters while relying on the stuff.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper pulled a face in which Leo could tell she didn’t know if he was joking or not. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure you’d trust me with something like this?” Leo asked. “I mean, my tech is pretty notorious for falling apart.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not true.” Said Piper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Festus? The Argo??”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, those were two very special predicaments, and Festus is okay </span>
  <em>
    <span>now.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Piper countered. “Besides, I don’t know what you did when you made that thing, but it’s powerful as heck. There’s no way I would have been able to charmspeak my way all the way down here without you and that thing. I think it might be amplifying my magic or something, because it’s definitely been doing most of the work.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? You’ve been doing most of the work, you’re the one whose exhausted. I feel fine.” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which is why you should be the one to keep going.” Piper concluded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo raised an eyebrow at her. “You know you’re trusting me with something </span>
  <em>
    <span>super </span>
  </em>
  <span>important, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I trust you.” She said easily. Which was kind of a shock to hear, but a welcome one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you say so.” Leo agreed, giving her room to change her mind. The idea of leaving Piper down here alone while she was clearly drained was still the least appetizing option, but Leo could feel his palms sweat at the idea of doing this alone. Just him and his thoughts, alone in the underworld, relying on a machine he had never tested and didn’t know the limits to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper could probably see his nervousness. She placed both hands on his shoulders. “You’ve got this.” She encouraged. “Now promise me you won’t look behind you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Piper, how stupid do you think I am?” Leo pouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please just promise you won’t. No matter how sure you are that Jason isn’t there. Just promise.” She pleaded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, okay, I promise.” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a hard, accepting look on her face she turned back to the god of the dead. “We’re ready.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo was most definitely </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>ready, but one could only assume Piper already knew that and that’s why she hadn’t asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what have you decided?” Hades asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to do it.” Said Leo, holding his machine tightly in his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hades nodded grimly. “Very well, then.” He stepped forward and tapped Piper on the top of the head and she dissolved into shadow. Leo had the suspicion Hades had just shadow traveled her back to Central Park (he better have, at least). Leo had never heard of being able to shadow travel another person. He wondered what Nico would do with that power. Probably send Leo to Sweden by “accident”.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The god of the dead turned his icy stare back to Leo. He had a feeling Hades wasn’t trying to scare him, but Leo was intimidated anyway. “Turn around and walk back to where you came from. Your friend will be right behind you.” He said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo tilted his head. “That’s it?” He asked. “You’re not going to bring him here? You’re not going to like, use your underworld-y magic to-?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As soon as you turn around and face the opposite direction, your friend’s spirit will be behind you, and the challenge will start.” Hades interrupted, clearly hoping Leo would leave him alone now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo’s throat ran dry, but he forced on a smile anyway. “Alrighty then. Sounds easy enough.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hades smiled right back at him, though his smile lacked any warmth. Leo was starting to wonder what he had gotten himself into.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good luck, hero!” Cheered Persephone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo turned around on his heel before he could regret it. He was facing the garden exit. He waited for something to shift or change, something to signal Leo that Jason was behind him. But he supposed that would make it too easy, right?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before he could think about it too much, he walked right back out the garden.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo fiddled with his instrument as he walked through the long hallways, though no one tried to stop him. It was unsettling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo had a heavy feeling in his gut that he was doing something wrong. Usually he felt this way when he forgot to wear his retainer to bed, or forget his homework at home, or was halfway through the math test and realized he was using the wrong formula. But this time, he wasn’t even sure what he was doing wrong. It was just a general sense of wrongness and unease that made him anxious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hollow eyes followed him down five flights of stairs and out the large brass doors he came from. They slammed behind him and he flinched. He fought the urge to turn around to see. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Stupid death god thinks he can trick me, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Leo thinks. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well he can’t. So there.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His feet crunched under asphalt as he made his way from the palace. After a minute or so, he realized the shadows weren’t parting for him, showing a way through. How was he supposed to know which direction to go through?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well this is problematic,” Leo spoke to himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>And Jason. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He reminded himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Because Jason is right behind you.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “On our way here, the music showed us which direction to go to reach Hades,” Leo explained for his friend’s benefit. “But it’s not doing it anymore. Maybe it was a one way kinda deal. I guess I’ll just have to remember the way back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Absolutely no response came from behind him. “You know, if you talked, I wouldn’t tell Hades.” Leo said. Still nothing. “Fine, be that way. But when we get to the surface and I find out you could have talked the whole time, I’ll beat you up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Walking through the fields of punishment on the way out without Piper was much scarier than it had been before. He fiddled around with his Valdezinator, music flooding around him. He wished he weren’t alone right now, this was much easier when he hadn’t been alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Except for Jason, obviously. Except Leo couldn’t talk to </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The punishment seemed to be back on. Mortal souls screamed and wailed while being flayed or burnt alive. Well not alive, technically, but it was still a sickening sound.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Leo passed, the ghouls covered their ears and the mortal souls got a heartbeat of relief from their torment. He heard leathery beating of wings above him and, sure enough, he caught another glimpse of the fates who hissed at him, but didn’t dare come close.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re scared of me because I totally kicked their butts earlier.” Leo explained to Jason, who could hopefully hear him. “When we get back to the surface, Piper will say it was her, but she’s lying. It was totally all me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pictured Jason laughing, with that look on his face that said </span>
  <em>
    <span>“What am I going to do with you?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Which made him feel better. It made his stomach twist and ache. But like… in a good way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The song that came from his instrument grew softer, sounding like a birdsong in the early morning, when Jason would like to wake up to go on a jog, like the physically fit madman that he was. It was soothing, and seemed to calm his rattled nerves, if only slightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pressed on. After an hour or so of walking, he realized the lightness in his chest was something he hadn’t felt in a while; a glimmer of hope. Leo tried not to hope for the best for himself, he usually got let down. It was best to expect the worst outcome and be pleasantly surprised when something good happened or expectant when everything went wrong.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Being even slightly optimistic about this situation was troublesome, because it could go so wrong in so many ways. And nothing would be able to compare to the soul crushing realization that he had failed, and he would never see Jason again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe Nico had a point, and this was actually a horrible idea that would only cause him more heartache. Maybe he should just move into the anger stage of grief instead of the bargaining stage. Leo was good at being angry, he could set things on fire when he was mad. (Not that he did do that, but he could).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Wow, that’s depressing</span>
  </em>
  <span>! Leo thought to himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Way to make yourself anxious, Mr. Cheerful.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo shook his thoughts away. But it wasn’t like he had anything to distract himself from overthinking with. His feet crunched softly on asphalt and he wished his music was louder than the screaming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Man, how does Hades live like this?” Leo said aloud. “He must have like, soundproof walls in his castle or something, this is insane.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Silence was the only thing that greeted him in response. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I bet Elysium is better than this, right Jay?” Leo asked. No one answered. “At least we’re not in Tartarus. I’ve only heard Percy and Annabeth talk about it a couple of times, but it sounds awful. Sometimes I forget Nico’s been there too, he never talks about it. But I guess I wouldn’t either.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo fiddled with his machine, keeping his hands busy. The scenery around him was easier to ignore when he was rambling. “Has he ever visited you? Nico? Probably not. He’s going to therapy now. If uh, you count Mr. D as therapy I guess. He told us this was a stupid idea. You don’t think it’s dumb though, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t wait for an answer. “Yeah of course you don’t. Anyway, I expect stories about being dead when we get back. I was dead for a few seconds but I don’t remember it. I wonder if you saw anyone we know who’s died. I wonder if you saw my mom.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Woah there, I thought we were trying to stop being so depressing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Probably not- when I die, like for real, I hope I become a ghost. That would be so dope. I would just haunt bunker nine or the Hephaestus cabin or the Waystation or something.” Leo lamented. “Oh man, wait, you don’t know what the Waystation is. Oh dude, you never believe it…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Leo walked on farther down the path in which he hoped was the right direction, he rambled on about Jo and Emmie and Lit and Georgie and the other kids at the Waystation. He talked about Apollo and Calypso and how she visits him with Reyna and Thalia as a group of hunters.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure they miss you too,” Leo continued. “Thalia I know regrets not getting to know you more. Something about a fear of attachment or something, I can’t remember. She’s either going to hate this or love it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rambling definitely made him less anxious. He talked about his time lost in the sea of monsters with Calypso. His little brother Harvey and his beacon, Piper and how strong she’s gotten since he’s been gone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He tried to picture Jason's face and what his reactions to each new bit of news would have been. He tried to hear his voice and laughter as he rolled his eyes at Leo antics and did that thing where he smiled and tilted his head like “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I don’t care. Keep going.” As if he got enjoyment out of hearing Leo ramble.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo sort of adored that look. Not in a weird way. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asphalt slowly gave away until Leo was wading through thick yellow grass. The Fields of Asphodel were much more calming than the Fields of Punishment. The torment was much quieter. Without Piper, the singing magic was much less strong. But if Leo got too close to a wandering soul, it would start sobbing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was much less sure where he was going now that all he could see around him was the exact same thing- miles and miles of grass in every direction. Leo wasn’t sure he was even walking in a straight line.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I remember walking this way…” Leo mumbled to himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His music got more suspenseful the more unsure of his direction he became. Leo really wished this stupid thing wasn’t so in tune with his emotions. He wondered if he should stop to ask for directions. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just as the thought fluttered into his head, a spirit turned his head to meet Leo’s. And Leo found this strange because one, the spirit wasn’t sobbing, and two, none of the other spirits had paid much attention to Leo before, they just heard the music and broke down. But this spirit seemed to look at Leo with recognition.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which was odd, because Leo didn’t recognize the spirit at all. His spirit-y form was monotone grey colors, so it was hard to decipher what he looked like. But he had curly mid tone hair that fell down to his neck. His skin was tanned, but not as dark as Leo’s. His face was boyish, like he could have been Percy’s age. But what really threw him, was the fact that he wore a dark grey toga, so dark it was almost black. They looked like mourner’s clothes. His eyes had dark circles around them, like he was in a perpetual state of anger and sadness (mood).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His eyes shined as he looked from Leo to his machine. “I know that song.” He said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His voice made Leo shiver. It didn’t sound like a voice someone could actually have. It sounded like he had been audio tuned but like... </span>
  <em>
    <span>well</span>
  </em>
  <span>. No human could have possibly made a sound like that, no mere mortal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m… uh…” Leo began, “I’m not really playing a song, I just-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” said the boy, “I know that melody. I know that feeling.” He scrunched up his face in concentration, like he was trying to pull on a memory but could quite reach it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His face cleared suddenly. “I know what you’re doing,” he said in sudden clarity. “You’re doing what I did when I was alive. You’re playing my song.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo blinked at him owlishly. He wondered if, miraculously, he had stumbled into Orpheus’s mortal soul, or some other soul who had done what Orpheus had done. Both options were likely, Leo wondered how many people had tried what Leo’s as doing? Hades made it sound like Orpheus had been the only one to try, but that might not necessarily be the case.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo opened his mouth to ask, but Orpheus-or-not-Orpheus interrupted him. “What are you doing here? You’re on the wrong path.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you mean that literally or metaphorically? Because that sounded like a metaphorical question.” Leo asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Possibly-Orpheus squinted at him, confused. “If you’re looking for the exit, it’s that way.” He pointed slightly left to where Leo had been heading. “You’ve probably already spent too much time here, if you’re this lost. You don’t want to dally in the Fields of Asphodel.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, of course.” Leo agreed. “Just out of curiosity, why is that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mortal souls who stay in the fields for too long, whether they’re doomed to wander here forever or not, they start to forget. Even souls from Elysium and the fields of Punishment are susceptible. The spirit you’re leading, they may have forgotten you already. You should leave as soon as possible.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo stiffened. “But, you can see him, can’t you?” He asked, his throat tight. “Is he behind me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The-guy-that-could-be-Orpheus’s eyes glazed over. “You know I can’t answer that.” He said. His presence seemed to fade and he walked away without another word.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo tensely power-walked as fast as he could in what he hoped was the right direction. He had never liked the idea of the fields of asphodel. Aimlessly wandering for eternity felt like a worse torture than anything the fates could cook up. But maybe that was Leo’s adhd talking. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He liked it even less, now. Maybe-or-maybe-not-Orpheus made it sound like the longer Jason stayed in the Fields of Asphodel, the more he would forget. But Leo and Jason had been in the Fields for hours. How long was too long?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he was alive- actually, even dead, Leo trusted Jason with his life. It wasn’t hard to trust Jason to understand what was going on and stay behind him. But what if underworld magic interfered and Jason forgot who Leo was? And Leo accidentally doomed Jason to walk the fields forever?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hades did say that he was allowed to interfere and mess him up. Maybe this was a really awful idea and Leo should have listened to Nico.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Too late now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The tall grass began to thin and Leo could see something up ahead that wasn’t infinite wheat and made a run for it. Soon, his sneakers were crunching in soft ashen sand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. The music that surrounded his ears was suspenseful and melancholy and he sort of wished he could turn it off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jason,” Leo said, “you’re still with me, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The silence that followed felt like a punch to the gut. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Of course he can’t answer you, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Leo reminded himself, </span>
  <em>
    <span>That was a part of the deal.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But the silence still felt defining. “That guy didn’t know what he was talking about, how could anyone ever forget about </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>? My face and winning personality are too memorable.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What are you talking about? He’s forgotten you before. Remember when he was dating Piper and you were constantly getting left behind? </span>
  </em>
  <span>His brain argued. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lots of people forget about you, Leo. You’re a seventh wheel, a spare part, you’re unimportant.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I trust Jason. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Leo shot back. </span>
  <em>
    <span>ItrustJasonitrustJasonittustJason.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The urge to check behind him was agonizing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I should have left footprints in the sand the last time I was here,” Leo spoke aloud. “We can follow those back to the death line. Or the gates or whatever.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo kept on walking. Because really, what else was he supposed to do? He started rambling again (hopefully to Jason, who could hear him) about random things in camp. About Nico getting therapy and Abeona who still slept on Jason’s bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo kept talking, but he couldn’t help the feeling that he was talking to himself, that Jason had abandoned him long ago, or that he had never been there in the first place. It was a kind of loneliness that he couldn’t explain. An ache in his chest that told him he was worthless. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He finally stumbled upon his own footprints. Well, he assumed that was what it was. The ashen black sand was level everywhere, except where Leo indented it. The old trail of footprints he found was, well, old. He could barely recognize the indents as indentions. But he followed them in what was hopefully the correct direction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo remembered what it was like to be possessed by an eilodon. It was like frost creeping up the back of your neck. A cold breeze that came from nowhere. He had also been witness to Nico’s ghost-y powers. Being near him when he was summoning skeletons or zombies or whatever made you feel absolute dread. The kind that made your stomach drop in your guts (no offense to Nico though).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anytime Leo was around ghosts or other undead magic, he could feel it’s presence. But no experience with underworld-y magic was quite as unnerving as absolutely nothing. Leo didn’t feel </span>
  <em>
    <span>any </span>
  </em>
  <span>sort or presence behind him. If anything, he felt more starkly alone then he ever had.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And when he passed by other spirits, like in the fields of Punishment of Asphodel, he could feel </span>
  <em>
    <span>their </span>
  </em>
  <span>presence. It made the hair on his arms rise, a vilotal reaction of knowing he wasn’t supposed to be interacting with the undead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Leo felt absolutely nothing from Jason. He felt nothing at all. Just his own crushing anxieties telling him what he was doing was </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong. </span>
  </em>
  <span>There was nothing but empty blackness from as far as the eye could see. He had never felt more alone. He wished Piper was here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the distance he finally spotted the gates, and Cerberus. He turned off his Valdezinator, shoving it back into his tool belt, he decided he'd only use it if he could sneak around the giant dog. Even if he was just a monster, Leo felt guilty about making a big puppy cry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He tip toed up to the gates, trying not to alert him. He reached the gates, and pushed it open. It creaked, and Leo flinched. He looked up to the guard dog, but Cerberus had yet to notice him. Leo squeezed through the gates and walked as softly as he could towards freedom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His feet tread lightly on the ashen sand, but every crunch of his boot sounded thunderous in his ears. Leo stayed in what he hoped was Cerberus’s blind spot as he skirted around the beast. Soon, he was mere feet away from </span>
  <em>
    <span>EZ DEATH</span>
  </em>
  <span> line. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as Leo stepped over it, the monster's heads (all three of them) swiveled to where he stood, as if Leo held a tasty treat for him. Leo reached into his tool belt as quickly as he could, but the monster seemed to recognize him from before, and all three heads bowed to cover six floppy doggy ears, as if bracing for impact. Leo had to restrain himself from scratching the monster dog on the head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Leo bit his lip and kept going. He was almost finished with his mission. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His legs ached as Cerberus’s wimpers died down in the distance. He managed to keep himself from turning around to look, but just barely. As he walked, he could see nothing but inky blackness ahead. Leo wasn’t as well versed on underworld myths as he probably should have been, but he didn’t know what else layed beyond the three mortal resting places. He tried to remember what the entrance to this pace had looked like. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There had been a river to his left, the river Styx, maybe? That just meant he had to keep walking until he saw a river. Easy. Then he’d turn to his right and walk upstream until he found the entrance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took his Valdezinator back out, if only to distract himself from the completely dead silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Leo kept walking, he became less and less sure of his plan. Surely, it hadn’t taken this long to get here in the first place. The silence stretched on forever and it was defining. Finally, Leo’s feet felt like they were going to give out beneath him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t registered he had stopped walking until he already had. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What was he doing here? This was insanity. He was all alone, in the literal underworld, he didn’t know where he was, he was completely lost, he couldn’t find the exit, and for what? Because he was so far in denial about his best friend’s passing he couldn’t move past it? Because someone offered an easy way out of his grief and he didn’t want to think about it before jumping in the opportunity to end it?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despair clouded his head, hovering over him like a dark cloud. He felt more awful in this moment then he had ever felt before. But one thing stood perfectly clear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m alone, aren’t I?” He spoke, his voice tight and cracked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Because of course Jason’s wasn't here, why would he be? Maybe Leo trusted Jason, but did Jason trust Leo? Why would any trust Leo to lead them out of the underworld? He probably strayed away and forgot him in the Fields of Asphodel. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that’s assuming Jason had even been following Leo in the first place. Who says that boy Leo met in the fields of Asphodel was Orpheus? He could have been Orpheus, or the thousands of other people who had heard his tale and tried his challenge. Who knows how many people have tried and failed to do what Leo was doing right now. Maybe Hades had given the third guy some slack and decided “actually, that’s too many chances” and decided to trick everyone else. He felt like such a fool for believing Hades or Hera, for believing anything could ever go right.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And why would it? When had </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything ever</span>
  </em>
  <span> gone right for Leo? He was living one disaster at a time. Why did he think he could do nothing but fail? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was never going to see Jason again. Leo had been living with that knowledge for months now, but it felt so heavy and concrete at that exact moment, Leo felt like he was falling through the floor. He would never get to say goodbye.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hot tears spilled down his face before he even knew what was happening. The music coming from his machine reached a crescendo, painting a melancholy picture of two boys in a school in the middle of the wilderness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even in Leo’s fake memories, Jason was Jason. He stood small, as if trying not to take up space. He had pushed Leo away originally, but they had become close anyway. Then Jason got amnesia, and chose to be Leo’s friend anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The music sounded like Jason’s voice in soft tones, holding Leo’s hands in his, telling him that his fire was a gift. That the thing that killed his mother, the thing that made Leo an outcast, a monster. Jason had said that this fire was a gift, not a curse, not unlucky, a </span>
  <em>
    <span>gift</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And that if Leo was a freak or a monster, so then was Jason. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Jason looked at Leo like Leo was not a monster, but a boy. The first person to see the real him and do so since his mother.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And when they returned to camp, Jason could have befriended anyone else, but he stayed glued to Leo’s side. Jason, who was the son of Jupiter, a king among men. Who walked on a level above the rest. Who had been born and bred for greatness. Who had been thrust into the spotlight since before he could remember, expected to be golden and amazing and perfect. Jason who looked up at Leo from the scaffolding. Leo- who had grown up in shadow, jumping from group home to group up home, never in the spotlight, never wanted or needed- and Jason stared up at him like he had just hung the stars in the sky.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The song sung of Jason hovering over Leo’s shoulder all throughout the day, trying to find ways to help with the construction of the Argo II, just wanting to be around him. Jason dragging Leo out of his bunker so he could get some rest. Finding some old video game in the attic and playing it for hours, just finding reasons to be around one another. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The song sung of hours below the deck of the Argo II, making sure it was operational, and getting used to Jason in his workspace. Strong, course hands petting cat fur in the most delicate way possible. Offering Leo a bit of his not-Italian ice, jumping into the fray of a battle to protect two demigods he didn’t even know.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Behind snapped shut eyelids, Leo could see his piercing blue gaze, the arc of a golden sword, winds whipping around him so fast he was sure a hurricane was passing by.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he could also see Jason lowering down his ice gently, so a stray cat could lap from it. He saw Jason nodding, urging Leo to continue explaining what he was working on, even though he had no idea what it was. He saw the boy who spent hours with Frank, helping him train. Who supported Piper when she wasn’t sure who she was. Who felt so guilty about Octavian he would get nightmares about it. Who spoke about the sister he barely knew with so much admiration. Who blinked in his new glasses horrified at the idea that something bad might happen to Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Who tasted like ozone and rainwater and died before Leo could ever taste it again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew Jason wasn’t there. Why bother looking behind him? He’d only be disappointed. Besides, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>promise not to. He heard a mournful wail, and it took only a second for Leo to realize it hadn’t been him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As if the shadow themselves mourned with Leo, they parted to reveal the opening Leo had entered through. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo distinctly remembered walking down stairs for three hours before finally reaching the underworld. Yet, Leo didn’t remember walking to the top. But he had.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was pitch black out. Leo wondered what time it was. He saw Piper pacing back and forth over to his far left. There was a picnic table spread out near her, where he saw McDonalds wrappers spread out around it. She must have gone to get something to eat at some point. It must have been hours. Leo had been too scared out of his mind to be hungry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper spotted him, she ran over and grabbed him into a tackle hug. Leo felt the tension slip from his shoulders, only to be replaced with a sinking feeling in his gut. He was going to have to tell Piper he failed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pipes, I-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She pulled him back. But when Leo caught a glimpse of her face, she wasn’t looking at him. She was looking at something over her shoulder. Leo turned around out of pure curiosity, and there he was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason seemed just as surprised to see himself as Leo and Piper were to see him. He looked at himself in awe, as if he were surprised to have a body. Which made sense in context. His hair was shorter than Leo remembered. And it was more of a fade cut, instead of a choppy undercut. He had a new, unhealed scar that drew a jagged white line that cut into his eyebrow and went all the way up into his hairline. There were more in his biceps, and two stab wounds that Leo could see through tears in his shirt. One in his chest and one over his heart. Leo assumed both must go all the way through and leave marks on the other side as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo had never seen Jason in his school uniform. It didn’t suit him. But then unnaturally bright electric blue eyes looked up to meet his, and Leo could feel the moment all of the air was knocked out of his lungs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper ran over to him, and they collided. Piper threw her arms around his neck and Jason hugged her back. They were speaking, but Leo couldn’t hear them over the roaring of his own ears. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He did it. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually </span>
  </em>
  <span>did it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason and Piper both looked back at him. Leo didn’t know if he could move over there without every atom in his body exploding. But he took one step forward, and then another, and Jason met him halfway. And suddenly he was in Jason’s arms. Jason was here, he was solid and real and he even </span>
  <em>
    <span>smelt </span>
  </em>
  <span>like Jason. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo’s eyes were blurry so he closed them. He felt as if every cell in his body shifted, adjusting to being re-anchored. Leo thinks he could stay here forever.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason had no idea what was going on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One minute, he was existing in a post death state in Elysium, the next, he was following Leo for no apparent reason. He didn’t even know how Leo had gotten there. Or why he was following in the first place. But this was Leo, and Jason trusted him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now he was sitting in the passenger seat of a car Piper stole, eating a McDonald’s hamburger, after being unable to use any of his senses besides sight and hearing for months. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s shitty fast-food takeout.” Piper countered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah but it’s the </span>
  <em>
    <span>best kind.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His two friends tried to catch him up to speed with current events, Jason would occasionally add unnecessary commentary like;</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should have </span>
  <em>
    <span>started </span>
  </em>
  <span>with ‘I have a girlfriend now’, Piper!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh good for Hazel!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh the Apollo thing is over? I missed it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nico did </span>
  <em>
    <span>what?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh no Abeona! Poor baby.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They really built all of it? </span>
  <em>
    <span>All </span>
  </em>
  <span>my plans? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Overnight!?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason could tell the two of them were glossing over some stuff. Mostly their reactions or feelings about his death. Jason assumed it was because they didn’t want to ruin the mood. But Jason knew how Leo, at least, was feeling. Right before exiting the underworld, Jason heard the burst of emotion Leo emitted from his song. Desperation, greif, loneliness. And several other feelings Jason didn’t know Leo had. They were probably going to have to talk about that soon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason, personally, felt elated. Which was nice, because every feeling he had felt since death had been muted. He wondered if he could go back to being Pontifex Maximus. It had been a tough job, and a lot of switching between camps, but Jason enjoyed it. He had felt important, without being elevated to a level where others felt like they couldn’t approach him. It was the right balance of responsibility and freedom that Jason had been craving. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know if camp would feel the same with Leo in Indiana and Piper in Oklahoma during the school seasons. He’d have to visit them a lot, in addition to his Pontifex Maximus work. He would miss them once September hit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For now, though, he was happy to be with his two closest friends. He had missed them both so much. Especially Leo. Leo had been gone for so long. Even after his holo message had come, Jason was so worried something had happened to him, it was hard to be excited about anything at all. Jason kept turning around in his seat to look at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason had missed the sound of his voice, the sound of his laughter. He missed his dumb jokes and the way he would constantly use his hands while he was talking. He missed everything about Leo Valdez.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jokes and laughter filled the car as they got closer and closer to camp. Jason wanted to bring up the elephant in the room. He knew being people back from the dead was usually morally frowned upon, but Jason wanted to tell his friends that he didn’t care. He- well he wasn’t grateful. He was happy to be alive. He was happy his friends cared about him so much that they resorted to making a deal with the lord of the dead to see him again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Though that last part made him wonder how much his death must have hurt them. At least Jason had a small chance of Leo being alive, Leo and Piper had known for sure Jason was dead. Living with that finality… Jason couldn’t even imagine. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yes he could. Things had been complicated with Octavian toward the end, but Jason still missed him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he never brought it up. He figured his friends would need time to adjust before reopening that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Besides, he had several things he wanted to talk about before then. Leo related things. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper parked the car in the middle of the woods outside camp. In the still air of night, Jason was surprised no monsters had come to attack them. Jason almost thought of mentioning this out loud, but decided better of it, he didn’t want to jinx them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had decided not to tell everyone Jason was alive right away. It was the literal middle of the night and they don’t want to wake anyone up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Actually, all three of them were really tired. He decided it was probably for the best if they all just went to sleep. He scanned the sky for harpies, but even they must have gone to sleep. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he walked across familiar grounds, something seemed to reset in his bones, calling him to lay to rest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m home, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was such a relief walking back to the Zeus cabin. He used to hate it there. It was so big and so empty, and there was a statue of his dad right in the middle, which made things awkward. He didn’t realize how much he missed it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he and his friends made their way up the front steps, Jason heard noise from inside and halted. There was light shining through the door… someone was inside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo and Piper had already jumped to the same conclusion. Jason absentmindedly reached for his gladias, but he didn't have it. It must be at the bottom of the ocean by now. He reached out for the door and opened it slowly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Behind the door stood a great many people. Hazel and Frank sat on his bed with Abeona. Percy was sitting on the floor and Annabeth was talking to Will Solace. Nico Di Angelo was standing in the center of the room, staring straight at Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pointed dead at him and cried, “You bitch!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason was scared for a moment that Nico was mad at him, but then realized that Leo and Piper were standing- hiding rather- behind Jason, and Nico was talking to </span>
  <em>
    <span>them. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jason didn’t realize his shoulders were wide enough to hide two people but here they were.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nico started walking toward them. Jason had just about enough time to notice that he was wearing an orange Camp Half-Blood T shirt and that he had grown taller before Nico wrapped his arms around Jason’s torso.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest of the night was kind of a blur. It was a lot of “what happened?” “Why didn’t you bring us along?” And “we missed you.” Many tears were shed. Some of them by Jason and some of them by not Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He learned that Nico had panicked when Leo and Piper were reported missing because he had known exactly where they had gone. He hadn’t followed them because he knew he couldn’t stop them, so he panicked and (after involving Will for some reason) shadow traveled to New Rome for help. There he met Hazel, Frank, Percy, and Annabeth on a double date (which must have been awkward) who also panicked, and all five of them shadow traveled back to Camp and waited here for Leo, Piper, and Jason to come back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Jason had disappeared from Camp Jupiter, and had his memories back, he hadn’t expected to be missed. He was sure Reyna and maybe Octavian had missed his presence, but he was sure life would have moved on without him. He had been fine with it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t realized so many people cared about him now. Well, he did, but he didn’t know they would have missed him this much. Jason had never had a family, he wasn’t sure what it was supposed to feel like. But this felt pretty close.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Will Solace was here too. (Kidding). </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a mist conversation with the hunters of Artemis in which Thalia, Reyna, and even Calypso talked over one another for half an hour before hanging up and saying they’d be over soon. Which was not at all worrying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually weariness from the stressful day won over and Jason found himself sleeping on the floor and Nico and Hazel slept in his bed, and everyone else spread themselves around his cabin. It almost felt like they were on the Argo II again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason’s day had been stressful and much too eventful. Still, he couldn’t find sleep. And it wasn’t because Abeona was sleeping on his chest. He still felt… weird. Like he was hyper wired with electricity. He could feel it coursing through his veins. Not like excitement or power… closer to poison. He felt everything too much. He didn’t remember being alive to be so overwhelming. He felt like some part of him was missing. Like something wasn’t quite right yet. Maybe it’s because he lost his sword or his glasses or something?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He picked Abeona up gently and put her down on the floor. If he wasn’t going to sleep, he shouldn’t pretend to. He should be productive. And there was one thing he promised himself he would do if he ever got the chance to again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>When was the last time I had a real conversation with Octavian? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jason thinks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His mind scurries around to find an answer. The best it can come up with was two weeks before Octavian told him he was having visions of the Titan War and everything went bad. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason remembers sitting outside of a cafe in New Rome. He was sure he had just bought a drink of some kind. Maybe hot chocolate. Octavian was sitting right next to him, and Jason was explaining his schedule for the upcoming week. He mentioned having to feed the eagles, a task none enjoyed because of how aggressive they tended to be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Octavian mentioned how Jason had done that chore more often than necessary, and he should ask to be removed from the chore chart. Jason had argued that he had signed up already, it was his responsibility now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You're such a doormat sometimes,” Octavian teased. “If you don’t start saying no to people, they’re going to walk all over you. If you keep giving parts of yourself up to others, you’re going to lose yourself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe I’m already lost.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo woke up to fur in his mouth. He pushed Abeona off of his face, where she had decided it was a good pace to sleep. As he sat up, she hissed at him and trotted over to where Hazel slept in Jason’s cot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Damn cat.” He muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took only a moment for Leo to remember where he was, and why he was here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Why hadn’t Abeona slept with him? Leo looked over to where he was sure Jason had been sleeping earlier, but he wasn’t there. Leo heard creaking on the roof and he quickly stood up. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized he couldn’t see Jason anywhere, and there was a shaft of light coming from somewhere in the ceiling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo walked over so he was directly beneath it. He saw a ladder that led to a door in the ceiling, which must have led to the roof. Was that always here? Leo remembered spending hours in this cabin with Jason last winter… no… the winter before that. It felt like a lifetime ago. Maybe Leo just forgot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo is quick enough to put two and two together and assumes Jason must be on the roof. Leo hauls himself up the ladder and onto the top of the Zeus Cabin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sure enough, Jason is sitting dangerously close to the edge of the roof. Leo knows it’s stupid to worry about him. He wouldn’t fall, he has years of Roman battle training, and even if he did fall, Jason can literally fly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It just felt too close for comfort.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason must have heard him move, he turned his head over his shoulder to look at him. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I didn’t mean to wake anyone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t,” said Leo, walking over to sit down next to him. “That stupid cat did.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What did Abeona ever do to you?” Asked Jason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo sat down, his legs dangled off the edge. The Zeus cabin had a flat roof, and the view was nicer than he thought it would be. Leo could see the lava wall, the beach, and most of the forest from here. It was a long fall to the bottom, but Leo found himself not caring. Jason’s was right next to him, if he fell, Jason would catch him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So many things.” Said Leo. “Just so, so many things.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A brief moment of silence passed. Not an uncomfortable one, Leo basked in it. “Cant sleep?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason shook his head. “Nah. Besides, I promised myself if I ever saw the surface again, I’d look at the stars.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo blinked. “Well, they are uh- nice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That must sound stupid.” Jason admitted. “I meant that- in the underworld, there’s no sky. It just goes up and up into only blackness. I know it must hit a dirt ceiling somewhere, but it’s too far away to see.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Terrifying.” Leo added. “Can't say I noticed that then I dropped by for a visit, a bit too focused on not dying, I guess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason laughed. Leo missed that sound. He missed Jason more than he wanted to admit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” said Jason quietly, “I missed you too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo shoved him in the side. “Screw off- I didn’t say that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You said it with your eyes.” Jason teaser.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever, man.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just can’t believe it’s been so long.” Jason continued. “We were fifteen when the three of us first met, do you remember that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t feel right.” Leo said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was like, the winter before last winter.” Jason mused. “That was two winters ago.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, Jay.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>summer</span>
  </em>
  <span> now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m well aware.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ve known each other for a year and a half.” Jason exclaimed. “And half that time either you were dead or I was.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Rude.” Leo said. “I only died for like, two minutes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m just saying- it’s been a long time.” Said Jason. “What day is it now? You said it was summer.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s March- actually we’re past midnight, so it’s June first.” Leo calculated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason’s eyes widened. “Really?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” Leo asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, I’m seventeen, now.” Jason said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my gods, yeah!” Leo exclaimed. “It’s your birthday!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You forgot?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I-“ Leo gestured uselessly. “I’ve had a lot in my mind.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason laughed. “Fair enough. It’s been a crazy long few months, huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No kidding.” Leo signed, leaning his arms down on his legs. “What do you want to do for your birthday tomorrow?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?” Jason hummed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do you want to celebrate, Superman?” Leo asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason scratched his jaw, thinking. “Oh, uh, I dunno. I’ve never really celebrated my birthday before. Didn’t even know I had one ‘till last year.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeesh,” Leo sympathized. “We’ll have to bake you a cake. I haven’t bought any presents, but you seem easy to buy for. Oh- you’ve probably never had a birthday party as a kid! We could have shitty dominos pizza and wear those rainbow party hats and hire a clown. Or something. Actually, forget the clown. We could rent out one of those bouncy house places, or uh… I dunno, what do kids do on their birthdays? My mom would usually make perogies- because I had no taste as a child- and we would drive down to the arcade in town and spend the whole day there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo realized he had been talking for a bit, turned back to Jason. Jason was staring at him, like Leo was a messenger from heaven delivering him the most important prophecy he would ever hear in his life. “Sounds fun.” He said. “Would you still show me everything else?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” Leo asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Back on the Argo,” Jason explained, “you said once we got back home, you take me to restaurants and stores and Disney park, or whatever it was.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo remembered. Jason had his back against the mast, bathed in the orange light of the setting sun. And Leo and impulsively promised to show him the world, everything he had missed out on, growing up in New Rome. He had promised on the river styx that they’d make it home alive, and together. He remembered aching to be able to give Jason everything he wanted, everything he deserved, everything he had been denied, even though he knew Jason would just turn around and give it back. Jason was always </span>
  <em>
    <span>giving</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and in that moment, all Leo wanted was for Jason to </span>
  <em>
    <span>take.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to,” Jason said, “I know you were just kidding around, I didn’t-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes I will,” Leo clarified. “Show you. Everything else. It’ll be fun, we could go on a road trip, or try something new every day or every week. We could ride on Festus, I’m sure Chiron would only repremend us a little bit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason beamed, “That sounds like fun.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, I promised, didn’t I?” Said Leo, jabbing him in the side. “Better late than never.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason laughed, “I’m just glad you're here at all, I don’t care if it had taken 10 minutes or ten years.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo took a deep breath in, and then out. A quick retort was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t think of anything clever to say. Maybe he should say that no one had ever really wanted to stick around after his mom died, that Leo had always been alone. He should probably say that in this moment, just by saying that, Jason meant the world to him. But he stayed silent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They lapsed back into a comfortable silence, Leo was surprised how normal this conversation felt. They’d been apart for so long, Jason had literally died, Leo had been probably traumatized bringing him back, and now they were cracking jokes on the roof of a building like everything was fine. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t, and it probably wouldn’t be for a while. They’d have to adjust. But even though Leo usually deflected by joking and pretending everything was fine, he wasn’t doing that now. Maybe it just hadn’t sunk in how weird this whole situation was yet, but this felt normal. Calm. There’s nowhere else he’d rather be right now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He half expected himself to ache for Jason's presence, or be afraid to leave him alone after they returned. But Leo felt pretty normal. Well, normal for Leo's Feelings about Jason. If anything, Leo was waiting for a bomb to go off, for this whole thing to explode in his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Jason asked after a moment. “Can I ask you something?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anything.” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason heisted. “Did you… do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>to talk about what happened in the underworld? With the music? You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Carefully, Leo folded his hands into his lap. “What about it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason’s eyes crinkled, like he wasn’t sure if Leo was playing dumb or not. “The- the thing. The thing you made. You said it turns emotions into music.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That is true.” Leo confirmed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I could hear your emotions the entire time.” Said Jason. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds about right.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So do you want to talk about that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo paused, trying to think of his wording. He was prone to word vomiting, and he thinks this situation is delicate enough to warrant him actively trying to stop that. “Which part?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason squinted at him. “If you don’t want to talk about it, you could just say so.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am literally talking about it right now!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you though? Because from here it sounds like you're deflecting by joking about it.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo gasped, pretending to be shocked and betrayed. “How dare.” He said. “I’m just making sure we’re on the same page. I don’t want to go around admitting to stuff when you’ve got no evidence to prove it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason sighed, he hadn’t sounded angry or upset, his tone more worried and contemplative. “What part do you think I’m talking about? Take a wild guess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo took a deep breath. “The part at the end?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason nodded once.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, okay.” Said Leo. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to say it if you don’t want to.” Jason reminded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know. I want to.” Said Leo. “There’s actually a very good reason for that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason waited politely for Leo to come up with said reason. He didn’t know why he was so anxious about this. Piper literally told Leo that Jason had liked him. But anytime Leo tried to visualize it, he came up with nothing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason shifted in his seat so he was facing Leo directly. Leo was picking his nails, itching to do something with his hands. “I was planning on telling you before everything happened,” said Leo, “but I’m a little bit in love with you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason tilted his head slightly, and smiled just so, “A little bit?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo wanted him to stop doing that. Stop looking so pretty and perfect and kissable. He wanted Jason to not sit so close, not to lean in, not to make Leo’s insides wriggle around like a bunch of confused worms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” Jason asked. Leo must have been looking at him weird.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want to kiss you.” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And?” Jason asked. “Why haven’t you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to ruin anything.” Leo admitted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s too late,” said Jason, “you’ve already ruined me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everything seemed to blur after that. Leo could feel the muscles in his eyes dilating his pupils and the two of them moved together, Leo’s head tilted to one side as his eyes fell closed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t expect it to feel this way. Like the consistent running of thoughts through his head would turn to static and everything out would blur into irrelevance. He was hit with the smell of ozone and burnt toast, like the last time Leo had kissed him, right before everything went wrong.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But while last time had been quick and urgent, this was slow and tentative and made Leo squirm in his seat to get closer. Leo had never kissed anyone before, but Jason seemed to know what he was doing. He ran a hand through Leo’s hair, resting it at the back of his head, tilting it sideways so their noses wouldn’t bump. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ha!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leo pulled away quick, recognizing the yelp of triumph. “Piper!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She grinned at them, peeking her head out from the door to the roof. “Haha, I knew it! Hell yeah, I knew they were making out on the roof- I was right! You hear that, Jackson? I want my ten bucks!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He heard a commotion from downstairs, mostly Percy yelling something Leo couldn’t make out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>like this.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Leo hissed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Best friend privileges,” said Piper, “also because I can.” She made a mock salute. “Carry on.” Then she descended back down the stairs, closing the door behind her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few seconds of silence passed where Leo could hear his friends overlapping chatter bellow them. “Wow,” said Leo, “I guess I live up here now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason laughed. “Definitely, no going back down there now, unless we want to be mocked to death.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Living under the stars wouldn’t be so bad.” Said Leo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason looked back at him, like he could think of no place he’d rather be. “There would be worse things.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean ‘no’?” Thalia hissed. “My brother </span>
  <em>
    <span>died, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and you’re telling me he’s legit on the roof </span>
  <em>
    <span>right now </span>
  </em>
  <span>and I can’t go see him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s sleeping!” Said Piper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso wiped the sleep from her eyes, and Reyna crossed her arms. “On the roof?” She asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s been a long day.” Said Piper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is dumb,” said Thalia, pushing past her. “I’m seeing him now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aww, Thalia, no!” Piper whined. Thalia didn’t listen, she pulled down the ladder, and climbed it with haste. She may not have known her brother that long, but his absence shattered her. She had lost her brother once, and losing him again had been awful. Reyna had taken it even worse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She opened the door and peeked her head out. On the edge of the roof, Jason lay on his back, asleep. Leo Valdez was laying perpendicular to him, also on his back, using Jason’s chest as a pillow. It looked like an odd position to fall asleep in. Based on what Thalia knew about how her brother felt about this boy, she assumed the worst. “Gross, nevermind.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She climbed back down the ladder post haste, closing the door behind her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Reyna asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s up there with Valdez.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ew.” She said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calypso laughed, “Man, boys are dumb.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper nodded. As the only demigod in the room who had answered the door when Thalia and the other hunters had arrived, she had asked them not to wake the other six sleeping campers on the floor. “Want to wait with me and make fun of them when they come down?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely, yes.” Thalia agreed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They’d probably have to explain to Chiron and the rest of camp how Jason was suddenly not dead anymore, Thalia herself couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. But for now, she was content leaving her brother alone with his closest friend in the light of a new dawn.</span>
</p>
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